Total body bone mineral content and bone mineral content in various body sites were measured by dual-photon absorptiometry in 103 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and the findings were compared with those for 214 non-diabetic control subjects matched for age and body weight. Neither total body bone mineral content (TBBM) nor the bone mineral density of the third lumbar vertebra (L3 BMD) in the diabetic subjects differed from the values in control subjects of either sex, but the values were significantly decreased in patients diseased for at least five years when compared with control subjects. Regional bone mineral measurement showed prominent bone loss in the truncal site, but no reduction in bone mass was found in the head, pelvis, arms, or legs in either male or female patients. These results suggest that reduced TBBM and L3 BMD are associated with duration of the disease and that a site-specific bone defect is present in NIDDM.