B-Vitamins and Bone Health–A Review of the Current Evidence

Zhaoli Dai, Woon Puay Koh

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)
31 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Because of ongoing global ageing, there is a rapid worldwide increase in incidence of osteoporotic fractures and the resultant morbidity and mortality associated with these fractures are expected to create a substantial economic burden. Dietary modification is one effective approach for prevention of osteoporosis in the general population. Recently, B vitamins have been investigated for their possible roles in bone health in human studies. In this review, we provide different lines of evidence and potential mechanisms of individual B vitamin in influencing bone structure, bone quality, bone mass and fracture risk from published peer-reviewed articles. These data support a possible protective role of B vitamins, particularly, B2, B6, folate and B12, in bone health. However, results from the clinical trials have not been promising in supporting the efficacy of B vitamin supplementation in fracture reduction. Future research should continue to investigate the underlying mechanistic pathways and consider interventional studies using dietary regimens with vitamin B enriched foods to avoid potential adverse effects of high-dose vitamin B supplementation. In addition, observational and interventional studies conducted in Asia are limited and thus require more attention due to a steep rise of osteoporosis and hip fracture incidence projected in this part of the world.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3322-3346
Number of pages25
JournalNutrients
Volume7
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bone
  • Fracture
  • Osteoporosis
  • Vitamin B

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