Question
Does type 2 diabetes cause osteoporosis? What are the factors or causes?
Answer
In a healthy adult body, about 99% of calcium, 85% of phosphorus, and 50% of magnesium are stored in the bones. Magnesium, following calcium, sodium, and potassium in terms of body content, is approximately half found in bones, existing in the form of phosphate and carbonate. Low magnesium levels often accompany low calcium levels, which can stimulate the parathyroid glands, leading to increased parathyroid hormone secretion and exacerbating osteoporosis. For diabetics, due to excessive diuresis, calcium and magnesium are lost in large quantities through urine, increasing bone resorption and leading to osteoporosis. On an X-ray, you can see that the cortical bone becomes thinner, the trabeculae become finer and fewer in number, especially the reduction in transverse trabeculae making the longitudinal trabeculae more prominent. When osteoporosis is indicated on an X-ray, the mineral content in the bones has already decreased by 30% to over 50% compared to normal individuals.