Women who suffer from diabetes may want to consider taking nutritional supplements such as vitamin D and calcium as a new study suggests that some medication for the disease may leave older females at a greater risk for bone fractures.

Researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., have found that women who take a commonly prescribed drug known as thiazolidinedione (TZD) for type 2 diabetes have a greater risk of developing weakened bones that could lead to fractures later in life.

Findings revealed that women who took TZDs for one year had a 50 percent greater risk of suffering a bone fracture compared to women who did not take the drug. Lead researcher L. Keoki Williams, M.D., believes that the drug could just be an addition to the greater risk for fractures in the elderly.

“Older women are already at a higher risk of osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures, which might explain why they appeared to be the most affected by TZDs,” William said.

These findings may steer other people toward other natural remedies for diabetes instead of prescription drugs.