Vitamin B-6 Inadequacy Is Prevalent in Rural and Urban Indonesian Children

Abstract

The vitamin B-6 status of Indonesian children was evaluated by determining their dietary vitamin B-6 intakes, erythrocyte alanine aminotransferase activity coefficients and plasma pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) concentrations. Thirty-eight third-grade elementary school children (ages = 8-9 y) in rural and 39 in urban areas of Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, voluntarily served as subjects. The subjects included 39 male and 38 female students. The mean vitamin B-6 intake of the subjects was 0.57 mg/d. Fifty-five percentage of the children reported consuming <0.5 mg/d of vitamin B-6 (the 1998 Estimated Average Requirement for those 4-8 y). Erythrocyte alanine aminotransferase activity coefficients >/= 1.25 were observed in 30%, and plasma PLP concentrations </= 30 nmol/L were observed in 25%; these values are considered indicative of vitamin B-6 inadequacy. Similar percentages of male and female subjects had inadequate vitamin B-6 status. Significantly more (P < 0.05) rural children than urban had inadequate vitamin B-6 status as assessed by the three indices. Vitamin B-6 inadequacy was found to be prevalent among these Indonesian children, especially those living in rural areas.

Maternal vitamin B‐6 and folate status and risk of oral cleft birth defects in the Philippines

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B Vitamins in Breast Milk: Relative Importance of Maternal Status and Intake, and Effects on Infant Status and function

“…Estimates in a 2001 Indonesian study were 10% of children in urban areas and 40% of those in rural areas (30). In 1990 it was reported that w40% of peri-urban Egyptian mothers had low concentrations of the vitamin in their milk [<415 nmol/L (0.10 mg/L), mean 435 (0.11 mg/L) nmol/L], although their status was not assessed.…”

Nutrients for Cognitive Development in School-aged Children

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