March 2004

Low B-12 levels may contribute to bone loss

Older women with low levels of vitamin B-12 are more likely to experience rapid bone loss, according to new research published this month in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The new findings help to establish the importance of vitamin B-12 in the bone health of women as they age.

Vitamin B-12, which is found in animal products, such as meat, shellfish, milk, cheese and eggs, is needed to produce red blood cells and maintain a healthy nervous system. Still, little is known about the vitamin's affects on skeletal health, specifically among aging women. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, led by Dr. Katie Stone, studied whether elderly women with low levels of vitamin B-12 suffer from more rapid bone loss.

"While deficiencies in vitamin B-12 are uncommon among younger women, many older women suffer from vitamin B-12 deficiency," explains Dr. Stone. "Our research shows that the women with the lowest levels of vitamin B-12 are at an increased risk for bone loss in their hips, which could lead to fractures. We knew that vitamin B-12 benefited the nervous system, but our findings suggest that it may also benefit bone health."

The authors note that these results indicate that for some elderly women, simple dietary supplements of vitamin B-12 or multivitamins or dietary modification may slow the rates of bone loss.

The Endocrine Society, www.endo-society.org

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