Lucknow: Diabetes is emerging as a major threat to bone health, leading to osteoporosis, especially among the elderly population. These are the findings of an ongoing study at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).
Prof. Sushil Gupta, faculty, department of endocrinology, who is leading the study, said: "Bone health rests on two factors -- bone mass and muscle mass (sarcopenia). In fact, the relationship between bones and muscle mass was complementary to each other. A fall in one triggers a decline in the health of another. And our findings show that diabetes leads to a loss in both bone mass and muscle mass."
Gupta claimed that preliminary findings of the study that largely speaks for Lucknow and adjoining districts showed that 22 per cent of the elderly population with diabetes, faced bone loss and muscle loss.
A former professor of orthopaedics department King George's Medical University (KGMU), Dr RN Srivastava said: "Poor calcium intake is the primary cause. The average daily intake is 200 mg per day which is way less than the recommended intake of 1000-1200 mg per day. Low exposure to sun -- the main and most reliable source of vitamin D -- is also a reason. Estimates show that over 70 per cent Indians are vitamin D deficient. Lack of physical activity is the third big cause."