Maltol and bone fractures in people with type 2 diabetes
What it found
Higher maltol levels were linked to more bone fractures in people with type 2 diabetes.
In mice and lab tests, maltol disrupted the balance of bone building and breakdown.
What they found
Studies in people
Maltol in human bone tissue
Bone samples from the hip area of people with easy-break fractures contained extra maltol when they also had diabetes. Higher maltol in the blood matched a greater number of fractures.
Animal and lab studies
Bone cell disruption in labs
In lab tests, maltol slowed down the cells that build new bone. It also sped up the cells that break old bone down.
Worse effects with high sugar
These harmful changes in bone cells grew stronger when sugar levels were high. Giving insulin to lower sugar in mice reduced the bone damage caused by maltol.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that safety checks for food additives should take into account conditions like diabetes.
- The authors call for dietary guidelines tailored to specific diseases to help lower fracture risk.
How it was done
Type 2 diabetes raises the chance of bones breaking easily, but scientists do not yet know all the reasons why. The authors wanted to find out what drives this bone weakness.
They tested bone tissue from people who had broken a bone and measured maltol in their blood. They also studied maltol in mice and in lab-grown bone cells, including under high blood sugar conditions.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Lab and mouse results cannot prove exactly what maltol does to human bones over time.
- The study found a link between maltol levels and fractures in people, but it cannot prove maltol caused them.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.
- Authors work at
- Xiamen University, China; the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, China; Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, China
The paper
- Title
- Maltol induces diabetic fragility fractures by disrupting the balance of bone remodeling
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Wang J, Wang Z, Feng J, et al (2026). Maltol induces diabetic fragility fractures by disrupting the balance of bone remodeling. Cell metabolism. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2026.03.001PubMed 41903530DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error