Male Smokers Have Increased Risk Of Bone Fractures, Early Death: Study

Cigarette smoking is injurious to health, and responsible for several ailments, including respiratory diseases and cancers of the lungs and throat.

Smoking is a major risk factor for osteoporosis and risk of fracture, and that men tend to smoke more than women, increasing their risk for osteoporosis, which has traditionally been thought of as a women's disease. | Representative Photo

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Cigarette smoking is injurious to health, and responsible for several ailments, including respiratory diseases and cancers of the lungs and throat. According to a new study led by researchers at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), male smokers, who are demographically more likely than women to light up, are also placing themselves at a significantly increased risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, and early death. 

How Is The Study Special?

The study team analysed nearly 30,000 broken bone cases reported over the past three weeks in 27 research publications. The UNLV researchers found that smoking increases the risk of breaking a bone by as much as 37 per cent. The meta-analysis was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, and is the first to expand scientists' scope beyond examining primarily hip fractures to other parts of the body, including the wrists, shoulders, forearms, femurs, lower legs, and spine.

Smoking Increases Chance Of Spine, Hip Fractures In Men

The researchers included data from previous studies, which found that smoking increases the chance of spine and hip fractures in men to 32 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. According to older studies, between 21 per cent and 37 per cent of those injured male smokers die within a year of their bone breaks.

Smoking Is A Major Risk Factor For Osteoporosis And Risk Of Fracture

In a statement released by University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study lead author Qing Wu said smoking is a major risk factor for osteoporosis and risk of fracture, and that men tend to smoke more than women, increasing their risk for osteoporosis, which has traditionally been thought of as a women's disease. 

According to the researchers, cigarettes' influence on fracture risk is not fully understood. 

How Smoking Increases Risk Of Skeletal Fractures

Wu also said that smoking is thought to increase the risk of skeletal fractures because the chemicals in cigarettes negatively impact bone cells and reduce the body's ability to absorb Vitamin D and calcium, which are critical nutrients for strong bone mineral density. He added that smoking is considered a risk factor for injury in general and interferes with the tissue repair process, making the body more susceptible to wounds and inhibiting fracture healing.

Researchers are calling on consumers to pay attention to the link between smoking and osteoporotic fractures, which are a major cause of disability and premature death for older people, according to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The researchers wrote that smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States, and that smoking cessation would greatly reduce fracture risk in all smokers, particularly in men.