In addition to following a diet that is made up of whole plant foods, it’s important to keep the glycemic load of your diet in mind. Using more beans, nuts, and seeds as major calorie sources, instead of grains and potatoes, reduces the overall glycemic load of the diet. As more and more research is conducted, we are learning that blood glucose levels are relevant to most chronic illnesses, not just diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes Increases Fracture Risk
Evidence suggests that patients with Type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of bone fractures.1 Among patients with Type 2 diabetes, poorer glycemic control is associated with impaired bone turnover, meaning slower replacement of old bone tissue with new bone tissue.2,3 This suggests that elevated blood glucose could weaken bone.4Hyperglycemia Harms Bones
Bone tissue constantly rebuilds itself. Bone-building cells called osteoblasts and bone-resorbing cells called osteoclasts work together to maintain bone mass and bone strength, striking a balance between building new bone and breaking down old bone.Elevated blood glucose impairs the bone-building effects of osteoblasts. A study in healthy women found that a single bout of hyperglycemia resulted in measurable decreases in markers of osteoblast activity.5 This impaired building of bone structurally compromises bone, leading to elevated fracture risk. For example, another study found that patients with inadequately controlled Type 2 diabetes had higher fracture risk (compared to healthy people and those with adequately controlled Type 2 diabetes) and altered bone architecture in the femur—thinning in the middle and thickening at the ends—which suggests susceptibility to fracture.6
