Comparison of the effect of vitamin D on osteoporosis and osteoporotic patients with healthy individuals referred to the Bone Density Measurement Center
Objective Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic disease of the bones. Osteoporosis reduces bone density, predisposes a person to fractures, and imposes high costs on societies. Osteoporosis develops from a variety of causes, one of the most significant is vitamin D deficiency. This study investigates the impact of vitamin D on osteoporosis.
The prevalence of serum vitamin D deficiency in osteopenic and osteoporotic individuals was higher than in normal subjects, with a significant relationship between age and sex. Thus, treatment with vitamin D improves bone density indices.
Low Plasma Vitamin B12 Is Associated With Lower BMD: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study
Vitamin B12 is important to DNA synthesis and may affect bone formation. We examined the association between this vitamin and BMD in 2576 adults. Men with plasma B12 < 148 pM had significantly lower BMD at the hip, and women at the spine, relative to those with higher B12, and trends were similar for both at all sites. Low vitamin B12 may be a risk factor for low BMD.
Both men and women with vitamin B12 concentrations <148 pM had lower average BMD than those with vitamin B12 above this cut-off. These differences were significant for men at most hip sites and for women at the spine. Significance remained after further adjustment for protein intake and plasma homo- cysteine.
Vitamin B12 deficiency may be an important modifiable risk factor for osteoporosis.