At the University of California, San Francisoc, 83 white women over 65 years of age who were not taking hormone replacement therapy were studied for 6 years to determine bone density and hip fracture. Women with B12 levels in the lowest quintile (<280 pg/ml) lost 1.6% total hip bone density compared with only 0.2% in those with higher B12 levels.
Of the three B vitamins involved in homocysteine metabolism, B12 is the most likely to be deficient–primarily because absorption in the intestine declines with age. B6 and B9, or Folate are the other two. Find recommended B vitamins here.
If you’re in this category, and not taking B12 supplements, you should have serum B12 levels measured. Why risk hip fracture?