New Study Suggests Low Vitamin B Level’s Linked to Increased Hip Fractures
Posted on June 30, 2008 by DFHS Article Team
Older adults who are low in B vitamins or have elevated levels of a blood protein called homocysteine may be at increased risk of suffering a hip fracture, new study findings suggest.
The body’s homocysteine levels are known to go up when B vitamin levels are depleted. However, in the new study, researchers found that homocysteine and certain B vitamins were each independently linked to hip fracture risk.
Among more than 1,000 elderly men and women, those who were deficient in vitamin B12 were 60 percent more likely than those with normal levels to sustain a hip fracture over four years. A similar risk was seen among those deficient in vitamin B6.
Vitamin B has also been shown to:
- Support and increase the rate of metabolism
- Maintain healthy skin and muscle tone
- Enhance immune and nervous system function
- Promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia.
- Reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer, when consumed in food, but not when ingested in vitamin tablet form.
Together, they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
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