SupplementsHow Vitamins A, C, E, K and B Vitamins Orchestrate Bone Fracture Healing
Fractures fail to heal properly in up to 10% of cases, and this review examines how vitamins A, C, E, K, and B-complex each play distinct roles across the stages of bone repair. Vitamin C supports collagen formation and stem cell differentiation; vitamin E's tocotrienols suppress bone breakdown and activate bone-building pathways; vitamin K activates proteins essential for proper calcification; and B vitamins influence bone health through epigenetic and metabolic pathways involving homocysteine and NAD+. Notably, vitamin A shows a dose-dependent double-edged effect — too little or too much both impair healing. The authors propose a stage-specific, biomarker-guided approach to vitamin supplementation as a personalized adjunct to fracture care, with careful attention to synergistic and antagonistic interactions between vitamins.
