Urinary Excretion Levels of Water-Soluble Vitamins in Pregnant and Lactating Women in Japan

Abstract

Dietary habits of pregnant and lactating women have a critical impact on the health of future infants. For this reason, the Japanese Dietary Reference Intakes regarding the amounts of addition of water-soluble vitamins have been set (1). The additional intake amounts for pregnant and lactating women were calculated based on data concerning the changes in the metabolic characteristics of vitamins in pregnant women and the loss of vitamins as a result of lactation. However, there is little information about whether nutritional statuses of water-soluble-vitamins in Japanese pregnant and lactating women are good or not. Therefore, we examined the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and speculated about the validity of the additional amount of some water-soluble vitamins in the dietary reference intakes for pregnant and lactating women.A potential approach for determining the validity for the additional amounts is based on the observation that a water-soluble vitamin or its catabolite(s) can be detected in the urine (2-11). Using this approach, the urinary excretion of a water-soluble vitamin or its catabolite(s) occurs when the dietary intake exceeds an individual necessary amount. MATERIALS AND METHODSSubjects. Japanese pregnant (16-40 wk gestation) or lactating women (0-11 mo postpartum) were recruited from a parenting circle in The University of Shiga Prefecture between April 2010 and February 2012. Japanese married non-pregnant, non-lactating women also were recruited as controls through the parenting circle to match the mean ages and heights of the pregnant and lactating women. The purpose and protocol of this study was explained to all participants before joining the study, and written informed consent was obtained from each participant. We excluded participants diagnosed with a cold or influenza, and those who had taken multi-vitamin supplements at least once during the previous month. In addition, we excluded participants whose 24-h urine collection was considered incomplete: a collection time outside the 22-26-h range, urine volume ,250 mL, or extremely low or high energy intake (,500 or .4,000 kcal/d) (12). Twenty-four of the 2nd trimester pregnant (16-27 wk gestation) and 32 of the Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan (Received December 17, 2012) Summary Recent studies have shown that the urinary excretion levels of water-soluble vitamins can be used as biomarkers for the nutritional status of these vitamins. To determine changes in the urinary excretion levels of water-soluble vitamins during pregnant and lactating stages, we surveyed and compared levels of nine water-soluble vitamins in control (non-pregnant and non-lactating women), pregnant and lactating women. Control women (n537), women in the 2nd (16-27 wk, n524) and 3rd trimester of pregnancy (over 28 wk, n532), and early-(0-5 mo, n554) and late-stage lactating (6-11 mo, n549) women took part in the survey. The mean age of subjects was ~30 y, and mean height was ~160 cm. A single 24-h urine sample was collected 1 d after the comple...

More than 50% of Pregnant Japanese Women with an Intake of 150 ^|^mu;g Dietary Folate per 1,000 kcal Can Maintain Values above the Cut-Off

“…We consider the amount of urinary excretion of water-soluble vitamins to reflect surplus intake of water-soluble vitamins (22). Our previous study results (20) suggest that the requirement of folate for pregnant women is lower than that of non-pregnant women, but this might not be the case because it is well known that a folate deficiency, macrocytic anemia, occurs in late pregnancy (23). A possible mechanism for the increase in urinary excretion of folate is increased absorption of folate during late pregnancy (24).…”

“…Furthermore, with the use of stable-isotope-labeled folate, no differences in urinary excretion of labeled folate or its catabolites between pregnant and non-pregnant women was reported (19). In our previous study, we reported that the urinary excretory level of folate was higher during pregnancy than in nonpregnant women (20). Folate concentration in our previous study (20) was measured by microbiological assay using Lactobacillus rhamnosus, ATCC 27773 (10,21).…”

“…In our previous study, we reported that the urinary excretory level of folate was higher during pregnancy than in nonpregnant women (20). Folate concentration in our previous study (20) was measured by microbiological assay using Lactobacillus rhamnosus, ATCC 27773 (10,21). Therefore, the urinary value did not contain catabolites of folate.…”

Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for pantothenic acid

“…In a population of Caucasian women in the USA, Song et al (1985) observed a mean (± SD) pantothenic acid intake of 5.3 (± 1.7) mg/day during the third trimester of pregnancy (n = 26) and of 4.8 (± 1.6) mg/day in non-pregnant women (n = 17). In a study in Japanese women, Shibata et al (2013) reported mean ( ± SD) pantothenic acid intakes of 5.7 (± 2.1) mg/day (second trimester, n = 24) and 5.7 (± 1.7) mg/day (third trimester, n = 32) in pregnant women and 5.0 (± 1.5) mg/day in non-pregnant women (n = 37). In a cohort of 42 pregnant women in the UK, mean (± SD) pantothenic acid intakes of 3.7 (± 1.2) mg/day, 3.9 (± 1.2) mg/day, 3.9 (± 1.0) mg/day and 3.6 (± 1.1) mg/day during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and six weeks post partum, respectively, were observed, using four-to seven-day weighed dietary records (Derbyshire et al, 2009).…”

“…Two small cohort studies in pregnant and lactating women and non-pregnant, non-lactating women provide data on pantothenic acid intakes as well as urinary pantothenic acid excretion (Song et al, 1985;Shibata et al, 2013) and whole blood pantothenic acid concentration (Song et al, 1985). Mean pantothenic acid intakes were between 5.3 and 6.2 mg/day in pregnant and lactating women and between 4.8 and 5.0 mg/day in controls.…”