TAGAWA, Japan, March 1 (UPI) -- Japanese researchers Tuesday reported patients who took folic acid and vitamin B12 after a stroke had a reduced risk of hip fractures.
Stroke patients have a two to four times greater risk of hip fracture, possibly due to higher levels of plasma homocysteine, an amino acid, according to an article in the March 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Homocysteine levels, which also might be associated with osteoporosis, might be reduced using folic acid and vitamin B12, reported researchers from Mitate Hospital.
Researchers gave 314 stroke patients 5 milligrams of folate and 1,500 micrograms of B12 vitamin. Another 314 patients were given a placebo. Participants were instructed to keep track of falls on a daily calendar.
During the two-year follow-up period 559 patients responded. Eight fractures were recorded in the treatment group and 32 in the placebo group over that time.
Patients receiving folic acid and B12 experienced a 38 percent decrease in plasma homocysteine levels, while levels increased by 31 percent in the placebo group.
