Research reveals that bones play an important role in regulating blood sugar and may contribute to diabetes.

A study in mice found that the breakdown of old bone to make way for new bone growth also helps to keep a healthy level of glucose in the blood. It also has implications for people with the brittle bone disorder, osteoporosis.

The findings reported in the journal Cell suggest that a common drug treatment for the condition could make a person more likely to develop diabetes

During normal growth, a process called resorption destroys old bone so it can be replaced by new tissue.

A team of US-led scientists found that resorption - which is blocked by some osteoporosis drugs - is necessary to maintain healthy sugar levels in the blood.

The process stimulates the release of insulin into the bloodstream, which in turn improves glucose use by cells. The scientists showed that a hormone released by bone called osteocalcin switches on insulin production and increases the cellular uptake of glucose. Both mechanisms are impaired in people with type 2 diabetes.

The new research shows that osteocalcin cannot work without resorption. As bone is degraded, inactive osteocalcin is converted to its active form by an increase in acidity.

The Columbia team said that the findings may lead to better drugs to help control Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition and is caused when the body no longer properly responds to insulin leading to out of control blood sugar.

Study leader Dr Gerard Karsenty, from the University of Columbia in New York, said that this research has important implications for both diabetes and osteoporosis patients.

First, this research shows that osteocalcin is involved in diabetes onset. Secondly, bone may become a new target in the treatment of type 2 diabetes as it appears to contribute strongly to glucose intolerance. Finally, osteocalcin could become a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

One important consequence of the finding is that bone-strengthening drugs used in conditions such as osteoporosis may interfere with this process and cause problems with blood sugar.