Folic Acid Found to Help Bone Health

by | Jul 2, 2008 | 2008, Bone Health, Folic Acid & Folate, Women's Health - Bone Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Studies suggests that folic acid may also be helpful to bone health. 

Over the years, folic acid’s role in health has extended far beyond helping decrease neural tube defects by 23% in the 1990’s (1), due to its fortification in food by the FDA (2). Folic acid’s health-promoting effects extend to mental health (3), digestive health (4), immune system health (5) and heart health in both 2006 (6) and 2007 (7), because of its ability to lower homocysteine levels.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is an amino acid produced during the breakdown of an amino acid called methionine. Usually, Hcy is broken down further into cysteine and finally, taurine (8). But Hcy that does not get broken down accumulates and becomes a hazard to the body, playing a role in cardiovascular disease (9). It is widely regarded as a reflection of poor health and a risk indicator of inflammation (10).

Now a new study (11) suggests that folic acid may also be helpful to bone health. Osteoporosis currently affects 10 million Americans, is “a major public health threat” for 34 million more Americans and costs our healthcare system $17 billion each year (12).

Previous research has shown that elevated Homocysteine levels increase bone fracture risk (13). Building on these findings, 117 postmenopausal women had bone density measurements taken in the lumbar spine, and also gave blood samples that were measured for folic acid, vitamin B12 and homocysteine. The researchers found that only folic acid levels were directly associated with bone mineral density (BMD) levels. Women with the lowest folate levels (0.25-4.20 nanogram per milliliter) had an average yearly decline in BMD of 17.8 mg per cm2 , while women with the highest folic acid levels (12.24-30.36 ng per ml) only had a decline of 0.27 mg per cm2.

Because Homocysteine levels were not directly associated with bone mineral density like folic acid was, researchers pointed to previous studies suggesting that folic acid’s role in bone health goes beyond helping lower Homocysteine levels. It includes roles in protein and DNA health (14), as well as nitric oxide synthesis (15), which can be “particularly interesting” for bone metabolism.

For the researchers, “These data suggest an important role for folate deficiency in the vertebral BMD decline of postmenopausal women.”

Source: Cagnacci, Angelo, et al. “Relation of folates, vitamin B12 and homocysteine to vertebral bone mineral density change in postmenopausal women. A five-year longitudinal evaluation.” Bone 42.2 (2008): 314-320.

© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Posted July 2, 2008.

References:

  1. “Spina Bifida and Anencephaly Before and After Folic Acid Mandate — United States, 1995–1996 and 1999—2000” from MMWR Weekly 2004; 53(17): 362-365.
  2. “Recommendations for the Use of Folic Acid to Reduce the Number of Cases of Spina Bifida and Other Neural Tube Defects” from MMWR Weekly 2004; 41(RR-14): 001.
  3. Tucker, K. L., N. Qiao, et al. (2005). “High homocysteine and low B vitamins predict cognitive decline in aging men: the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study.” Am J Clin Nutr 82(3): 627-35.
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  7. Wang X.  Efficacy of folic acid supplementation in stroke prevention: a meta-analysis.  The Lancet 2007; 369(9576):1876-188
  8. Life Extension Foundation’s Guide to Disease Prevention and Treatment. 4th ed. 2003: Life Extension Media.
  9. Virtanen, J. K., S. Voutilainen, et al. (2005). “Homocysteine as a risk factor for CVD mortality in men with other CVD risk factors: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study.” J Intern Med 257(3): 255-62.
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  11. Relation of folates, vitamin B12 and homocysteine to vertebral bone mineral density change in postmenopausal women. A five-year longitudinal evaluation.
  12. National Osteoporosis Foundation Website “Fast Facts”.
  13. S.A. Jamal, R.E. Leiter and D.C. Bauer, Hyperhomocysteinaemia and aortic calcification are associated with fractures in patients on haemodialysis, QJM 98 (2005), pp. 575–579
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