Reducing Hip Fractures in Seniors Through Diet

by Diane Lofshult

After suffering a stroke, older adults have a two to four times greater risk of fracturing a hip. Is there a way that diet can reduce this risk?

Yes, says a group of scientists reporting in the March 2, 2005, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers recruited more than 600 older men and women (aged 65 and older), who were given either a daily oral treatment of folate and vitamin B₁₂ or a placebo. A total of 559 subjects completed the study, and the results were heartening. After 2 years of treatment, the number of hip fractures was significantly lower in the treatment group (10 hip fractures per 1,000 patient years) than in those given the placebo (43 hip fractures per 1,000 patient years). Treatment caused no significant adverse effects.