Lipid Levels Related to Osteoporosis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterizedby reduced bone mass, deteriorated bone structure. Various studies have tried to evaluate the association between lipid level and osteoporosis, but the results were proved to be controversial. The objectives of this study are to assess the correlation between BMD and serum lipid levels, to determine independent variables associated with osteoporosis and osteopenia in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

All participants of the study were carried out biochemical analysis of blood and the analysis of the lipid profile that included total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). Physical examination and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry examination were performed. Multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate associations between serum TC and TG levels and the osteoporosis or osteopenia.

The level of serum TG was directly correlated with BMD at the lumbar spine in all patients in multiple linear regression models. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, decreased level of serum TG was independent risk factor for osteoporosis(p=0.022) in T2D patients. It also showed that a greater BMI was protective factor for osteoporosis (p=0.019) and lower level of β-CTX was an independent risk factor for osteopenia (p=0.008) and osteoporosis (p=0.001) in T2D patients.

Among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes, the decreased level of serum TG might indicate a risk of osteoporosis. Further research is needed to confirm the finding and to clarify the contradictions identified.