Hip Hip Hooray – for Vitamin B

When it comes to bone fractures, the hip is one of the most frequently fractured areas. In 2003, 345,000 people were hospitalized for a hip fracture in the country. That’s a lot, but it takes on added significance when only 25 percent of hip fractures fully heal. The nature and severity of the fracture go a long way in determining this, of course, but because so many hip fractures occur in the elderly – an age where the body doesn’t heal itself as readily as in salad days – it makes sense why so few fully heal.

So how does one reduce the risk of hip horrors, besides being careful not to fall on icy street paths and treacherous driveways? With some “B,” vitamin B, to be specific.

When researchers performed a series of tests on a group of elderly participants, they found that those with abnormally low levels of vitamin B in their blood had bone density levels far below those who had normal levels. The bone density levels were so low, in fact, researchers believe they’re at about a 70 percent increased risk for hip fracture – an injury most frequently seen in the elderly. This finding held true throughout the course of their four-year study through follow-ups.

Prior research has shown a correlation between increased risk for hip fractures and high homocysteine levels, an amino acid that when found in high concentrations has been linked to other health risks like heart disease and stroke. These researchers found similar findings in their study (the higher the participants’ homocysteine levels, the less dense their bones were).

To decrease homocysteine while increasing vitamin B levels can be done simply by eating foods high vitamin B. As you may know, there are eight sub-classes of vitamin B, but the ones the researchers found to be most at play in bone density levels are vitamin B6 and B12.

Some of the best food sources for vitamin B6 – a ubiquitous vitamin, meaning that it’s found in lots of foods – include potatoes, bananas, whole grains found in a variety of cereals and spinach. Just a cup of Popeye’s favorite fix has about 25 percent of the daily recommended value (for a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, mind you, far short of Popeye’s typical caloric need).

Unlike vitamin B6 – found in grains, vegetables and proteins – vitamin B12 is M.I.A. in vegetables. Where it is found – and in abundant supply – is fish, like snapper, salmon, shrimp, cod and halibut. Mollusks, like clams and scallops, are the most abundant source for vitamin B12 (84 micrograms of clam contains 1400 percent of one’s daily recommended allotment (again, for a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet).

The average layperson may not be as familiar to vitamin B as, say, vitamin A or C, but its anonymous nature should not be construed as being unimportant to the body. It plays an essential role in a variety of functions we take for granted – like metabolism regulation, muscle cell contraction and brain function – it’s of particular importance to those along in years and those for whom osteoporosis frequents (For my female readers – that means you!).