Vitamin B12 Helps Bone Health

Vitamin B12, found in dairy products, meats, poultry and fish as well as in many fortified cereals, may be an important weapon in your battle against osteoporosis. New research at Tufts' Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) has uncovered a positive association between vitamin B12 and bone health.

The Tufts researchers measured bone mineral density-a gauge of bone quality--and vitamin B12 levels in more than 2,500 men and women participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. They found that both men and women with low vitamin B12 levels also averaged lower bone mineral densities than those with higher levels. The men with low vitamin. B12 levels had significantly lower bone density in several areas of the hip, and the women low in B12 had particularly low bone density in the spine. Low bone density puts people at increased risk of the bone-weakening disease of osteoporesis.

"This is the first large-scale study of its kind to show an association between low vitamin B12 and low bone mineral density in men, and it confirms other reports of this association in women," says Katherine Tucker, PhD, director of the HHNRCA's Dietary Assessment an Epidemiology Research Program. "It shows that getting enough vitamin B12 from meats, poultry, fish and dairy products may be important for both men and women in maintaining strong bones."

Some individuals, particularly older people, have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from foods, however. So, Tucker adds, "inclusion of breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin B12 or use of vitamin B12 supplements offers additional protection."

Exactly how B12 is linked to bone density is unknown, as is the ultimate significance of B12 to bone health.*

According to a recent surgeon general's report, some 10 million Americans age 50 and older already have osteoporosis, with another 34 million at risk. As the population ages, those numbers are expected to grow by 2020 to 14 million plus 47 million more at risk-half of all Americans over 50.

"Osteoporosis is becoming a much greater issue now that people are living so much longer," says Tucker, who was the lead author of the study, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. "Our study provides support for a way in which people can actively lower their risk of osteoporosis and help to preserve quality of life."

The recommended daily value of vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms (mcg). Good food sources of vitamin B12 include:

• Dairy products (make sure to pick low-fat or fat-free); an eight-ounce container of low-fat vanilla yogurt, for example, contains 1.2 mcg of B12
• Meat (again, opt for lean cuts)
• Fish; four ounces of salmon contain 3.18 mcg of B12
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Fortified breakfast cereals; a fortified wheat-flake cereal such as Total contains 8.56 mcg of B12 in a one-cup serving

Because the body's ability to absorb B12 from food typically declines with age, older people may need to take vitamin B12 in a multivitamin/mineral supplement or in the high levels of fortified cereals. [1]

* I found another piece of information that discusses how Vitamin B12 works, which the previous article seemed to omit.

Vitamin B12 keeps your levels of homocysteine (an amino acid) from rising and weakening bones. [2]

Besides getting enough calcium and vitamin D, healthy bones also need B12. Tufts University scientists used special scanning equipment to measure bone-mineral density and blood levels of B12 in nearly 2,600 men and women. Among those with low B12 levels, women had less dense bones in the spine and men had less solid hip bones. Because B12 can be easier to absorb in concentrated form after age 50, the researchers recommend getting 100% of the DV for B12 (6 mcg) from either a fortified breakfast cereal or a multivitamin. [3]

Sources:
1. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter; Jun2005, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p1-2, 2p
2. Prevention; Aug2006, Vol. 58 Issue 8, p75-75, 1p, 2c
3. Prevention; Aug2005, Vol. 57 Issue 8, p79-79, 1/4p