Association between exercise and risk of fractures in new-onset type 2 diabetes: a retrospective cohort study

In this population-based retrospective cohort study, exercising before and after the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was significantly associated with lower risk of fractures. This result suggested that exercising might be effective in reducing fracture risk.

Patients with diabetes have a significantly higher risk of fractures. We aimed to investigate the association between exercise and fracture risk in new-onset type 2 diabetes.

This retrospective cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database included 170,148 patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes who underwent two cycles of health checkup between 2009-2012 and 2011-2014. The patients were classified into four groups (non-exercising, newly exercising, previously exercising, and continuously exercising) and followed up until the date of fracture, death, or December 31, 2018. Hip fractures, vertebral fractures, and any fractures were defined using diagnostic codes.

The proportions of non-exercising, newly exercising, previously exercising, and continuously exercising patients were 65.1%, 15.7%, 10.9%, and 8.3%, respectively. Continuously exercising patients showed the lowest risk for fractures, followed by newly exercising patients using the non-exercising group as a reference. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for hip fracture, vertebral fracture, and any fracture were 0.69 (0.50-0.94), 0.73 (0.63-0.84), and 0.90 (0.83-0.97), respectively, in the continuously exercising group and 0.76 (0.61-0.95), 0.85 (0.76-0.94), and 0.93 (0.88-0.98) in the newly exercising group. The risk was lower in patients who lost less than 5% of their body weight than in those who lost 5% or more.

Exercising was associated with lower risk of fractures in newly diagnosed diabetes. However, exercise accompanied by excessive weight loss may not have a significant association with a lower risk of fractures.