NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While most studies linking smoking to osteoporosis have involved heavy cigarette consumption among women, a new study helps confirm the connection in men and also finds that smoking even less than a dozen cigarettes a day puts one at risk for brittle bones.

In a French study of 719 men ages 51 to 85, those who had smoked the most packs during their lifetime--more than 7,120--had lower bone mineral density than those who smoked less.

Yet it didn't take even a pack a day to have an adverse effect. The median number of cigarettes smoked per day by study participants was 10, and smokers as a group were found to have a higher risk of spinal curvature than never-smokers, according to Pierre Delmas of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Lyon, France, and colleagues.

They reported their findings in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

When the researchers further categorized the men by weight, they found that smoking appeared to only weaken the bones of those who weighed less than 165 pounds.

One explanation is the elevated blood levels of parathyroid hormone seen in the thinnest smokers, the researchers said. Excess parathyroid hormone can contribute to bone loss.

The thinnest group also had reduced blood levels of vitamin D, which is important for strong bones.

Osteoporosis affects an estimated 8 million women and 2 million men in the United States, and 18 million more have low bone mass that puts them at risk for osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis can contribute to hip fractures, which can lead to chronic disability and hasten death.

SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2002;87:666-

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