Smoking Linked to Bone Fragility in Men

New research from French scientists reveals that smoking increases the risk of osteoporosis in men, challenging previous assumptions that this association primarily affects women. This study highlights the importance of smoking cessation for maintaining bone health in both genders.

September 2002
Smoking Linked to Bone Fragility in Men

719 men aged 51 to 85 years participated and found that those who had smoked more than 7,120 packs of cigarettes in their lives (an average of 10 a day) had a lower bone mineral density than those who had smoked less.

After adjusting for other parameters, such as weight, they observed that tobacco appears to increase the risk of osteoporosis in those weighing less than 75 kg.