I’m sure you know that the most commonly used supplements to conquer or prevent osteoporosis are calcium and Vitamin D. While both of them have well-known proven benefits, you might not be aware that vitamin B12 may play an important role in your bone health.
A study conducted by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, found a link between B12 deficiency and osteoporosis in men, and later confirmed the link in women as well (Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Volume 20, pages 152-158. Jan. 2005). The research was based on the vitamin B12 blood levels and bone health indicators of 2,576 men and women spanning from 30 to 87 years of age participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study.
At least for now, the mechanism by which vitamin B12 and bone health indicators are interrelated is not well understood. However, the study did confirm that both men and women with vitamin B12 levels lower than 148 picomoles per liter (pM/L) were at greater risk of an osteoporosis diagnosis than those with higher levels. Also, study subjects with B12 levels below 148 pM/L had significantly lower average bone mineral density (at the spine in women and at the hip in men) than those with higher levels of B12.
Besides the recently found bone health benefit, Vitamin B12 – also known as cobalamin – plays many important roles in the body, such as the processing of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It also helps make all of the blood cells, acts as a coenzyme in the synthesis and repair of DNA, and is required for maintenance of nerve sheaths.
A Vitamin B12 deficiency may result in pernicious anemia, a condition characterized by general weakness, numbness of the extremities, pallor, and other symptoms. Foods that contain the highest levels of B12 are liver, meat, fish, and yogurt.
During digestion, hydrochloric acid helps release vitamin B12 from the protein in food and then it is absorbed as it combines with the Intrinsic Factor, a mucoprotein made by the parietal cells in the stomach lining.
The minimum requirement is only 2.4 micrograms a day – the amount in just three ounces of beef. However, approximately 30% of people older than 50 no longer have the ability to absorb adequate vitamin B12 from meat or dairy products. This is due to a lack of stomach acid production, as two articles by R. Carmel confirm (“Cobalamin, the stomach, and aging”, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997;66:750-9 and “Prevalence of undiagnosed pernicious anemia in the elderly”, Archives of Internal Medicine, 1996;156:1097-100). Additionally, foods highest in B12 have an acidifying effect on the pH (except for plain yogurt), so, as I explain in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, their consumption should be limited.
A word of caution: Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid as well as drugs used to treat peptic ulcers (Tagamet, Pepsid, Zantac) can interfere with B12 absorption from food by reducing the release of hydrochloric acid into the stomach. Metformin, a diabetes drug, also indirectly affects the absorption of B12 because it interferes with calcium metabolism and B12 absorption requires calcium.
Your best bet is to take a multivitamin paying special attention to the levels of Vitamin B12 and the rest of the B complex vitamins, as they all act in synergy with each other. The other B-complex vitamins are thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid, and biotin.
Dear Vivian,
Thank you for the information on vitamin B12.I have been on IV pamidronate therapy for three years and have now changed to IV Zoledronate once a year.
I have been trying to get on Fosteo but in the light of your comments have now dropped the Idea .Will now consider Vit B12.
Many thanks
Herbert.
Thanks Vivian for your continous research and providing info to us all. I am taking vitamins that consists these B’s and also taking supplement for osteoporosis. I will go for density soon and will let you know the improvement.
More power!
Vangie Knowles
Thank you very much Vivian for the good news. I have an acid reflux and high cholesterol and I can not eat liver and beef, however I take multi-vitamin daily the Centrum-Siver which have the vitamins I needed. I have learned a lot from you in saving my bobes.
Thanks for this latest advice regarding vitamin B 12. I hadn’t thought about it & will definitely add it in to my regimen. I’m following your advice as best I can & I appreciate all your helpful info. Thanks,
Sandy.
Hi Vivian
Thanks again for the information I now have a question I am taking a calcium/magnesium/vit D supplement and was told by my Pharmacist that I shouldn’t take a multivitamin at the same time as I would be overdosing on Vit D Do you know if there is a supplement that contains only the B Vitamins? Would Royal Jelly do it do you think?
Pamela
I agree that B12 is a great vitamin for many reasons. But, balancing your hormones is a sure way to gain bone growth. I have researched Bio-identical Hormones for 14yrs. and know that progesterone builds bone. I am 57 and gained 4% bone. Testosterone is another great bone builder. Bio-identical hormones are made identical to the hormones that a woman makes. We are hormonal beings and we need hormones till the day we die, even if we have had a hysterectomy. I am a hormone consultant and help women to make the rest of their journey healthy and disease free for a very long time. I work with women all over the nation to gain the knowledge they need to have a real partnership with their dr. It would be my pleasure to be your hormone coach. sb*****@*****er.com I charge $25 for 1 and half hrs.
Dear Vivian,
I’m amazed at how many women are suffering, like me, from osteoporosis and have had the same lectures from physicians re taking the drugs they push. I know I will be pressured next week when I go in for my annual check up to take another bone density scan. I am strongly considering refusing to take it since I had one a year ago and refuse to take the drugs so, like other comments, I don’t see the point in subjecting myself to more radiation. I would be interested in your opinion re this.
Thank you for the heads up on the Vit B12-Please advise as to exactly how much I should be taking and if it is necessary that it is sublingual or is pill for ok? I have been taking a Vit B complex along with my MANY other suupplements daily.
Keep up your good work, we need you on our team!
Pat
Hello Vivian,
Thank you so much for recent information on Vitamin B12 – all very interesting. Have checked my multi vitamin/mineral supplement and it is well covered. Like other people my “actonel” prescription sits unused on the bulletin board- thanks to your book.
Thank you so much for caring and emailing all the information out to people.
Dear Vivian,
Thank you for all the informations through e-mail. I quit taking Fosamax as soon as you informed me what`s in it and the side effects. I also take Vit. B-12 once in awhile. After this article, I`ll take B12 religously. Thank you for caring and God Bless you always.
Dear Vivian:
I have not words to say thank you, thank you for all the information you provide to us. I am taking Centrum, is it ok. Any suggestions about B-12 Thank you for all the information about Didrocal.
God bless you.
Thank you for all your research and taking the time to share all this wealth of information with so many people affected by this dreadful disease. I had no idea Bl2 was helpful with bone density. I take a B Complex, but will take alittle extra of the Bl2. Any suggestions for taking Vitamin K 2? I hear so much about this lately. Is it a good idea to check fibrinogen levels before starting this supplement to make sure ones blood isn’t too thick? Thanks again so much.
thanks for your info. i didnt know b-12 was for bones, but ive been taking b-complex for a year or so.thanks again pat
Thank you so much for all the information you send out. I have just had a bone density test and it appears I no longer have osteoporosis. Is this possible. I had a crush fracture about 5 years ago. I am very interested in the information about vitamin B12 and will get some ,I am taking a strong vitamin B complex
What did you take from the first day till your last bone density scan showing your osteoporosis is gone.
Or do you know a certain supplement that helped you?
I have -2.8 osteoporosis with fractures, osteoarthritis, slight scoliosis & sciatica with a bulged disc for over 20 years.
I’m still under 40 and really concerned as to what to take, I didn’t take any medications the Doctor or Specialist told me to, except the Vit D and I’m deciding what calcium to take, I don’t take any medications and I’m in pain daily and starting to loose my mobility so any suggestions would help me a lot.
Thanks in Advance,
Hippy
Thank you so much vivian for all important info. about B12. I’m taking Simply one women and it has 2500% of B12.(150 mcg).
Once again thank you very much.
Thank you so much vivian for all important info. about B12.
Thank you so much for your e-mails espescially regaring ospteoporosis, I also have been diagnosed but refuse to take the poison they offer. I will now add b-12 to my arsenal. Please advise if regular over the counter b-12 is sufficient or should I look for a specific type and brand?
I appreciate your concern and your continued research
Susan Baker
I learned about vitamin B12 from Dr. Susan Brown’s book, Better Bones, Better Body. You and Dr. Brown seem to be the most reliable sources of informatin about building bones. You two disagree on some issues but are so informative!
I have another question for you, Vivian. My fingernails are in horrible shape and are getting worse! Do you think that the ridges, white spots, and infection under my left thumbnail may have something to do with my bone health or diet? I’ve quit using any clear polish (the only kind I’ve ever used) to see if that will help. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much for all your articles, newsletter, and e-mails. I just referred a friend to your site. She’s already ordered your book, The Bone Health Revolution.
Cary Davis
Hi Cary,
As part of my fight with rheumatoid arthritis (which I won by the way – now pain free and totally mobile) – I discovered a substance called MSM – this is also good for hair & nails. As a bonus my nails lost their brittleness and grew like mad. All the ‘white spots’ vanished and the nails themselves became more ‘pink’ in colour and more flexible. It certainly won’t do you any harm – kind of like a large plate of raw veggies reduced to a teaspoon of soluable powder. Blessings
My nails were also in bad shape. They would split, crack,break off in layers. I found I wasn’t taking enough Vitamin D. I was taking only 500 IU a day. Now I take a 1000 in the morning and a 1000 at night. My nails look like they did when I was eighteen. It’s amazing what vitamins can do. Flo
Hi Vivian
Thank you so much for the information about Vitamin B 12.
I never took this vitamin, but I am going to get one .
I am taking ADCAL D3, Magnesium and OsteoBi-FLEX whith Glucosamine, chondrotin Msm.
I always follow your instructions, I really appreciate you.
Thanks for be caring you are so special ……I always appreciate what you done to me and many people .
Your are my ANGEL .
CLARA
Hi Vivian, I really appreciate all the letters you recieve, it helped me tonite, didn’t know im supposed to take extra B-12, i’ve always took centrum silver – 25 mcg with 417 % D V ( Whatever that means. ) Is that enough ? I too, want to order your book everyone is raving about when the time comes to afford so .
Here is abit of info someone might just benefit from…….. My blood preasure is always so high and my heart beats so hard it beats in my head and it is agravating and scary. I started chewing up baby garlic i find in the garden and my heart stopped pounding in my head, the ground is so frozen now so i buy the capsules,and it does the same, ( some brands of garlic seem to be better than others. All i know is GARLIC helps my heart , Praise The Lord .
Thank you for your site Vivian ans God Bless you dear….. Joyce
Thanks, Vivian, for keeping us informed. As perhaps the only male with osteopenia on your mailing list, I really appreciate you.
Don’t feel alone Brother, I got osteoporosis -2.8 with fractures, osteoarthritis, sciatica & slight scoliosis, with a bulged disc for over 20 years. I can’t work anymore and need to go on disability soon, so I can’t afford the right foods or supplements to really help me, I have to borrow money just to pay the rent each month so buying food is not an option and I rely on Family & Friends to help me out with food or laundry. I’m male and under 40 still & I’m really scared as to why my body is failing me and I can’t walk or move around without pain anymore.
I won’t be able to use the advice I have seen from other posters who talk to Vivian until I get on disability and can afford the right supplements of course.
I hope sharing my story makes you feel not so alone on here Lee.
Best of Health to you all,
Hippy
Thank you very much for the information, I was taking B 12 on and off, now I will be more steady. Thx again. Sandra Tucson, Arizona
I am taking Centrum Silver which contains B12,hope my body uses it right way.
Did not know that it helping bone density.Thanks for information.
I will be back to read comments. No time right now.
Just wanted to say, I was taking a sublingual B12. After a few months I
had blood tests that revealed I was “Way Over” the average, like thousands,
so I went off the vitamin. I didn’t seem to have any symptoms from being so
overloaded. For anyone interested in taking B12, the only way the body
assimilates it, I understand, is to be dissolved in the mouth. You might want to check that out befoe purchasing.
Dear Vivian,
I don’t know where my bone density is at this point. I have read through your book several times. I am trying to eat more of the food you recommended and I have been taking Shaklee Vitiams. I thought it interesting that I had already started using the wrist and leg bans before I read your article. I know that I need to be more faithful in all of these areas to help my bone density. I APPRECIATE your book and e-mailing me. You are so special to help people you don’t know.
In Christian Love, Jeanne
Hi Vivian. You have done it again. Thank you so much for the article. Will start taking B12 immediately. Your book and your articles are a blessing.
Hi Vivian, thanks for yet more fascinating information. I have just been reading an interesting website about omnivore diet and how our dentition, digestion and many other features indicate that we should be eating small amounts of lean animal protein, preferably from wild sources such as rabbit and wildfowl and organ meats. Your recent e-mail supports this. As my long suffering husband is always saying, ‘moderation in all things’! I really appreciate the work you put in to keeping us up to date. Many thanks, Wendy.
Thank you for all your valua ble info. I will start taking vitamin B
& hope it helps along with my other vitamins.
I took fosamax for 11yrs and thanks to my cousin advice he had read your veiwes on fosamax and emailed me and told me get off them which I have and now I follow your advice thank you so much Sue Palmer England)
Hi Vivian, Thanks for keeping me informed re. B12. I took myself off alendronic acid nearly a year ago now and haven’t looked back. Very glad I did and wished I’d done it sooner. Was on it for 2 years. Doctor wasn’t impressed! Hopefully I will be able to invest in your valuable book re. osteoporosis before long. Do plenty of weight-bearing exercise, ride a bicycle, ramble etc. Always have been active and see no reason to stop now – if anything, need to do more! I’m sure this is the best way. I come from a family which has always questioned prescribed drugs. However, I do have an underactive thyroid and have been taking thyroxine daily for several years now. I enjoy feeling fit and adore outdoor activities. I was shocked when after a bone density scan, which I requested due to an early menopause and subsequent wrist fracture, and was alarmed at the results. However, since then I am wondering how accurate these scans are. Health care is in such dire straits in the UK that a lot of staff are incompetent. I recently heard of someone who had lost weight being told she had gained 7 pounds but fortunately she had the presence of mind to see whether the nurse had checked that the pointer on the scale was on zero before weighing my friend! It was 7 pounds over! One doesn’t know what to believe! Thanks for everything.
Thank you for your email re vitamin B12, I will start taking today. Just to let you know my doctors prescribed ibantronic acid recently which I am NOT taking. But he also wanted me to have a drug every three minths intravenoulsy which I have also refused, Must admit do not take the calcium or magnesium regularly as they effect my bowels.
I now have two de compressed fractures of the spine.
I am following your guidance as best as I can
Thanks Vivian for continuing your work on getting or keeping our bones healthy. I am going to be 70 soon and I have stomach problems. What would be the best way to take B12 and how much does one need?
Also, are drug stores or grocery stores good sources to purchase vitamins and minerals?
Thank you so much for all the information you provide. We spoke on the phone shortly after I recieved your book and I told you about the problems I had endured because of the osteoporosis drugs I had taken: Actonel, Fosomax and Boniva. I did not realize that they each contain the same basic poison and have suffered for two years from severe GERD as a result. The last time my doctor and I discussed Boniva (administered intravenously and bypasses the esophaugus, thereby avoiding problems with reflux) was after my last bone scan a year ago. He was upset by my numbers and asked if I wanted to try it. I agreed, but changed my mind and decided that I’d had enough! Your book convinced me that I was right! When I saw the doctor again he told me his own mother had become so ill with chest pain that she said she was just going to take her chances. Good for her! I will now begin again to take B12, thanks for the information. Your emails are appreciated more than you can know!
Florence Brandwein.
February 14, 2009
Thanks for your article on b-12. This only enforces what I have learned many years ago. I am 68 years old, was diagnosed with osteopenia and started on medication eight years ago. I have been taking 500 mg of vitamin B-12 for the last ten years and have stopped taking Actonal one and a half years ago because of jaw problems and I have recently been diagnosed with osteoperosis.
So you see after eight years of medication I went from bad to worse. Now I have some hope. I follow your guidelines in your book (Bone Health Revolution) and look forward to reading all your advise. B-12 sounds great and I will continue using this vitamin. Thank You
Thank you so much. You are like an angel. I follow your instructions the most of time.
Did not know about B-12. Have some sub-lingul that I will start using on a regular basis. Also, need to be faithful in Calcium-D intake daily. I guess my life of riding motorcycles, and 4 wheeling is over since I guess it will fracture my bones. Im 52 and had weight loss surgery which threw me into Osteopenia and Im sure next test will be full blown Osteoporosis. Too much weight loss too quickly. Should I also be taking Gluclosimine? What other issues will I be facing due to my bypass surgery on absorbsion? thank you for all your help.
February 13,2009
Your information came just in time for me. My doctor ordered a Bone Density Test when I was at his office today. My developmental daughter has Osteoporosis and takes Acetonal. This information means so much to me. I am 80 years of age, had a fall and a total knee in 2006. Still have lots of pain. My Orthopedic surgeon who I saw today said my pain was unacceptable. So he has an Orthopedic Physcian who comes to this area March 13 and I have an appointment. Needless to say, my local doctor, my daughter’s dr and my local orthopedic will each get a copy. They are all very wonderful to me and my daughter and very open to any information I give them. Living in a small
town is a great help for the visits are very caring. Yet we have to travel
40 miles to see the Orthopedic Physician but that is not far. I look forward
to giving them the info. personally. Again, thank you so much for getting this information out to so many people. Helen Flora-Smith
Dear Vivian,
I’m so pleased with your new advise on osteoporosis. My women’s one a day has B-12 100%. You are such a blessing to all of us Ladies who have health issues. Thanks for all your research for all of us who needs help in this area of our lifes.
Sincerely,
Lottie Bendele
Great article. I usually take a B-50 vitamin supplement along with a mutiple vitamin, but did not know it was good for my bones too. Thanks, Vivian, for your research and for caring about osteoporosis.
Vivian,
As Elaine says, “You are an Angel” and we are so lucky to have you out there helping, informing and caring for us all. Amazing infomation about the B-12 and thanks so much for the article! Very helpful for me to know that I’m on the right road, at last beginning to take care of myself properly. I feel so strongly, as I’ve mentioned to you previously, that it was “meant” that I found your website and now in writing you about my taking the B-12, that you discover the benefits of it for our bone health! So again, thanks so much and I look forward to getting fully into your book. You are one in a million! 🙂
Thank you for all your wonderful information. My doctor gave me a prescription for Actonel but after reading your web site, and chose not to take it. Thank you for all the free help. It is greately appreciated.
Thank you so much for your book and research. I actually sent a note to my doctor telling her to read your book and give women an alternative approach to treating osteoporosis vs. the dangerous drugs. I am already doing many of the recommended things in the book. I am eating 1/2 grapefruit almost every day, and I even bought the ankle weights and am doing exercises with them. Thanks for e-mailing all the latest research. It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your book and your efforts to help people without meds. I think I will take the same road as the other lady and not have any more bone density tests. I am 53 and I remember a doctor telling me I’ll be just fine without meds. if I don’t do any parachuting!
Thanks again I look forward to your e-mails
Thank you for your research in this matter, I have been taking Synthroid for over 20 yrs. I was now told I have osteoporosis. My doctor wanted me to take medicine for this condition but I refused saying I had to do more research for myself. She also recommended B-12 shots once a month. I do believe in this. I must get your book.
Thanks
Thanks to your book I stopped taking Fosomax and or Antonel a year and a half ago. I am deligent with Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D and B-12, plus a very good multivitamin. I recently has blood tests showing that all of the above levels are in excellent range. My last bone density test showed no loss in the spine, and more density in the hip!!!
What Margaret needs is a young cutting edge doctor like mine. It is eseential to have a doctor who is knowledgable about supplements, and one who does not push the “latest” pills on the market.
Dear Cookie,
I haven’t been looking for a “cutting edge” doctor — just someone whose mind isn’t locked in a box….any chance your doc is someone in the NY metropolitan area?
Good work!
Robin
Thanx for your help, Vivian, you are such an angel. I did not know about B12 helping osteoporosis. I was only taking it off & on. Now I’ll take it more often.
Thanx again
Elaine Langdon
According to my lab test, I am high on B12. Yet my doctor is very angry that I refused the daily self-injections of an osteoporosis drug for two years at a cost of $12,000. He first said, “If you fall, that’s the end of you.!!!” I said I want to check any new drugs before I take them. A nurse follows him in, demanding my signature. I told her I would not sign. Two days later another person from his office calls to get me to sign up for an instructional course. I told her no, it has a black box warning, which she apparently didn’t know and which flabbergasted her.
My impression was that the doctor was being pressured and thus he tried to frighten and intimidate me. My opinion is that, if help to pay the cost is available (as they told me), then the manufacturer is the helper, which means the charge is too high or it wants to further the study on humans and this is a back door way to do it. This drug was approved by the FDA for only two years because it isn’t yet known what the effect is after that time. Needless to say, I was “flattened” at his words, and I am weary from fighting off each new pill he tries to get me to take at every semiannual visit. Someone is pulling his strings, and the patient is his scapegoat. He talks and acts like a robot, saying he can do only what the numbers say. So the next time he wants me to have a bone density scan, I will say no because I do not intend to take any kind of drug regardless of their figures.
The black box is because there is a possibility of causing cancer of the jaw.
i took that shot for six weeks that you are talking about. I ended up with a dislocated jaw, had to go to the emergency room. I am taking b6, b12, d3, calcium, and folic acid. I also refuse to try any of these osteoperosis drugs after all the problems that I have had with them.
Hi Margaret,
What a story! You are obviously referring to Forteo. Small correction, though: the black box warning is for generalized bone cancer, not jaw cancer.
I read all your articles on “saveourbones”and print them off. They have been a wonderful assistant in helping me to understand this problem. I take Ad-cal D3 and have been told that I should also take some form of magnesium in order for the calcium to reach the inner bone structure. Is this true. I was interested in your article referring to B12. last year my doctor arranged for me to take B12. First it was 5 injections within a certain number of days and since then I have an injection every 3 months. I am most grateful for the news letters on this subject. I don’t expect to work any miracles as I am 84 but I like to think that maybe I am preventing my spine from crumbling any further. I used to be quite tall and now I find I am quite small. Once again many thanks for your wonderful news letters.
Thank you Vivian, for keeping in touch with us. I am following your recommendation from A-Z . I am going for bone density test in a few months and hoping for good result I will let you know, if there is a good news.
All the best to you
Eva
Just read your newletter about which vitamins should be taken for my Osteoperosis. I am very pleased with “The Bone Health Revolution” I have highlighted most of the important info for myself.
Also checked my vitamins and I am taking what I should. I found that Kroger Complete Senior multivitamins are the best (so far).
I am 74yrs old and have been taking Actonel for about 5 -6 years. I told my Dr. I don’t want to take it anymore. She isn’t happy about that and sure enough she told me that I would be in a wheelchair in one year. Isn’t it ironic that those are the words that I read in your book?
I had my first compression fracture about 3 or 4 years ago. Had my second one last fall. If the Actonel didn’t work after all those years why take it. I am going your route. Thank you for all of your info
Sincerely Carmel langin
I took Actonel for 6 years. The med ruined my stomach and digestive system, made me lethargic, gave me muscle pain and arthritic pain. I developed IBS. My Osteopenia went into Osteoporosis. I took myself off of it, my doctor was not happy.
I recently took myself off of Llipitor, which was causing stomach problems and aches. I am taking bone up for my bones, and trying to exercise and eat well. I am sure I have a b-12 deficiency, I had shots as a young mother. I am 73, I would like quality of life, not quantity. It was a personal decision. These drugs are poison. I will have a bone density test in 6 months. My doctor is telling me I should consider the intervenous once a year drug. I have forgotten the name of it.
I thank you for the information on B-12, I do take a B-complex weekly and a multvitamin alternating with a multi-mineral supplement. However, I will now add B-12 to my other vitamins that I take daily. My husband who helps me take my vitamins will help guide me with the amount to start taking and when. Once, again, thank you.
This is good news, Vivian! The downside for me is that I have IBS, so most likely am not absorbing all the nutrients I need, from food or pills. However, I have been taking B-12 for some time sub-linqually, which is a big help. I just wish all supplements were available in this form.
Thanks for being!
amy