High Body Mass Index and Triglycerides Help Protect against Osteoporosis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate whether high body mass index (BMI) and triglycerides (TGs) were protective factors for reducing osteoporosis (OP) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Participants and Methods. Seventy-nine patients (aged 20 to 81) with T2DM were included in the study. Basic information and blood indicators were collected. Bone mineral density was used to diagnose OP. Participants were grouped according to BMI (normal weight vs. overweight/obese participants), TG (normal TG vs. hypertriglyceridemia), and OP (non-OP vs. OP), and differences were compared between groups. Regression analysis was used to explore whether BMI or TG were independent factors affecting OP. RESULTS: The proportions of OP in the overweight/obese and hypertriglyceridemic groups were significantly lower than those in the normal weight (30.0% vs. 69.0%; P = 0.001) and normal TG (27.3% vs. 56.5%; P = 0.010) groups. In the OP group, the BMI (24.8 ± 3.4 vs. 26.6 ± 2.5 kg/m(2); P = 0.009) was significantly lower than that in the non-OP group, and TG showed the same trend (1.30 (0.81) vs. 1.71 (1.1) mmol/L; P = 0.020). Logistic regression in the crude model showed that the odds ratios (ORs) of OP in the overweight/obese and hypertriglyceridemic groups were 0.193 (95% CI: 0.071, 0.520) and 0.315 (95% CI: 0.119, 0.830) compared with those of the normal weight and normal TG groups. After adjusting for sex and smoking, the ORs were 0.204 (95% CI: 0.074, 0.567) and 0.242 (95% CI: 0.082, 0.709) for the overweight/obese and hypertriglyceridemic groups, respectively. After adjusting for all confounding factors, the ORs for these groups were 0.248 (95% CI: 0.083, 0.746) and 0.299 (95% CI: 0.091, 0.989), respectively. CONCLUSION: BMI and TG are independent protective factors against OP in patients with T2DM.