Comparison of the effect of different anti-diabetic therapy on bone profiles in postmenopausal women

Methods A total of 81 postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older were recruited. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were classified into 3 groups: women on metformin monotherapy (M, n = 20), women on metformin and insulin therapy (M + I, n = 28) and women on insulin monotherapy (I, n = 25). A group of women without treatments of diabetes was included (WT, n = 8). Biochemical analysis was obtained and BMD, BMC, lean and fat mass in different sites were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning. Results The results show a significantly higher femoral neck BMD value in women on metformin combined to insulin therapy compared to women on insulin monotherapy after adjustment for all possible covariates. In addition, we observed a higher BMC at the trunk level in women taking metformin drugs compared to those taking insulin combined with metformin treatment, and between women on insulin and metformin drugs compared to those on insulin injection after adjustment. However, there is no significant difference in bone markers concentrations between groups. Conclusions We hypothesized that only insulin monotherapy is associated to a reduced bone mineral density and content in type 2 diabetic postmenopausal women.