[Nutrition and bone health. Roles of vitamin C and vitamin B as regulators of bone mass and quality].

Vitamin C and a vitamin B are essential nutrients to maintain bone density and bone quality. Recent literature clearly shows that vitamin C and B affect bone quality determinant "collagen cross-link formation" . Mildly elevated plasma homocysteine levels induced by vitamin B insufficiency and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deteriorate normal collagen cross-link formation (Saito M, Osteoporos Int 2009 May 30. [Epub ahead of print] , Shiraki M and Saito M, J Bone Miner Metab [6] 2008) . In this review, we describe the effects of vitamin C and vitamin B insufficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia on bone quality in terms of collagen cross-link formation in bone that have been reported in the literature.