Too Much Vitamin B6 and B12 Tied to Hip Fractures in Older Women

A study published in JAMA Network Open determined older women may be at a higher risk of hip fracture if they take supplements with high doses of vitamins B6 and B12, reports KFGO . Current U.S. dietary guidelines recommend women over 50 take 1.5 daily milligrams of B6, while those females 14 and older should get 2.4 daily micrograms of B12. The researchers monitored nearly 76,000 female U.S. nurses in for an average of 21 years. Nearly all subjects had total B6 and B12 intake from foods and supplements that was higher than recommended. Some 2,300 women fractured a hip during the study, and 50 percent had these fractures before they were 76 years old. Fifty percent of the women in the study had at least 3.6 milligrams of B6 and 12.1 micrograms of B12 daily. In comparison with women who had the lowest intake of B6 and B12, those who had the highest daily dosage were 47 percent more likely to have hip fractures in the study period. "Normal intakes of these vitamins, corresponding to recommended dietary allowances, were not associated with increased fracture risk," noted the University of Oslo's Haakon Meyer.