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(NaturalNews) Low blood levels of B vitamins can increase a person's risk of suffering from hip fracture, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Researchers took blood samples from more than 1,000 elderly adults and tested them for levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and the blood protein homocysteine. Prior research has linked high levels of homocysteine to increased risk of hip fractures, and levels are known to go up as B vitamin levels go down.

"We've seen evidence in the past that high homocysteine is associated with elevated risk of hip fractures," said lead researcher Robert R. McLean, but it can be "hard to disentangle whether low vitamin B status is a causal mechanism, or whether high homocysteine is a causal mechanism."

The researchers found that participants who had deficiency of either vitamin B6 or B12 were roughly 60 percent more likely to experience a hip fracture during the four-year follow-up period than those who had sufficient levels of the vitamins. The lower a person's B vitamin levels, the higher their observed rate of bone loss.

People with elevated levels of homocysteine had a 50 to 70 percent higher risk of hip fracture than those with normal levels. This effect was found to be independent of the effects of the vitamins, suggesting different roles for B vitamins and homocysteine in the maintenance of bone health.

Laboratory studies have suggested that B vitamins play an important role in regulating bone density, and correlations have been found between low blood levels and lower bone mass.

Vitamin B6 is found in high levels in bananas, beans and potatoes, and is added to many foods such as cereal or bread. Vitamin B12 is found primarily in animal products, but is also added to many grain-based products, and can be found in nutritional yeast.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com.

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