Weight maintenance after smoking cessation lowers fracture risk in men with T2DM

Quitting smoking does not appear to contribute to a decrease in fracture risk in male patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but maintaining weight following cessation may help, reveals a study. Moreover, weight loss after quitting tends to increase such risk.

Smoking cessation showed no significant association with a reduced fracture risk when compared with continual smoking (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.94, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81‒1.09).

Notably, quitters who maintained their weight had a lower fracture risk (aHR, 0.78, 95 percent CI, 0.64‒0.96). On the other hand, those who gained or lost weight had increased risks, especially the latter.

“In male patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, smoking cessation did not reduce fracture risk, but weight maintenance after cessation was protective,” the authors said. “Weight loss after cessation significantly increased fracture risk, highlighting the need for integrated weight management.”

A total of 43,564 male patients with newly diagnosed T2DM (2009‒2015) who underwent health examinations within 2 years of diagnosis were identified and analysed using the National Health Insurance Service database.

The authors classified eligible participants as continual smokers or quitters with no BMI change, BMI gain, or BMI loss. They calculated aHR and 95 percent CI for the risk of fracture using Cox proportional hazards regression.