diff --git a/include/boost/type_index/runtime_cast/reference_cast.hpp b/include/boost/type_index/runtime_cast/reference_cast.hpp
index 10b5dc1..1511f7d 100644
--- a/include/boost/type_index/runtime_cast/reference_cast.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/type_index/runtime_cast/reference_cast.hpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <boost/core/addressof.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_index/runtime_cast/detail/runtime_cast_impl.hpp>
 #include <boost/throw_exception.hpp>
+#include <boost/type_traits/add_reference.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_traits/remove_reference.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_traits/is_base_and_derived.hpp>
 
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ struct bad_runtime_cast : std::exception
 /// \return If there exists a valid conversion from U& to T, returns a T that references an address
 /// suitably offset from u. If no such conversion exists, throws boost::typeindex::bad_runtime_cast.
 template<typename T, typename U>
-T& runtime_cast(U& u) {
+typename boost::add_reference<T>::type runtime_cast(U& u) {
     typedef typename boost::remove_reference<T>::type impl_type;
     impl_type* value = detail::runtime_cast_impl<impl_type>(
         boost::addressof(u), boost::is_base_and_derived<T, U>());
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ T& runtime_cast(U& u) {
 /// \return If there exists a valid conversion from U const& to T const, returns a T const that references an address
 /// suitably offset from u. If no such conversion exists, throws boost::typeindex::bad_runtime_cast.
 template<typename T, typename U>
-T const& runtime_cast(U const& u) {
+typename boost::add_reference<const T>::type runtime_cast(U const& u) {
     typedef typename boost::remove_reference<T>::type impl_type;
     impl_type* value = detail::runtime_cast_impl<impl_type>(
         boost::addressof(u), boost::is_base_and_derived<T, U>());