Vitamins B6 and B12 and folate status in an adult Mediterranean population

Abstract

Objective: To assess the nutritional status for vitamins B 6 and B 12 and folate in an adult Mediterranean population, in order to identify patterns of intake, groups at risk for deficiency, and factors that might influence this risk. Design: A cross-sectional epidemiological survey. Setting: Andalusia, a western Mediterranean region in southern Spain. Subjects: The study was carried out with a random sample of 3528 subjects (1813 men, 1715 women) who were between 25 and 60 y of age. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical assays in a random subsample of 384 subjects (183 men, 201 women). Interventions: Food consumption was assessed by 48-h recall. Vitamin B 6 was measured as alpha erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase activation coefficient (aEAST); vitamin B 12 and folate concentrations were measured in plasma. Results: Energy and vitamin intakes were significantly higher in men than in women. In men, intakes were below two-thirds of the RDA in 10.8, 2.9 and 22.6% for B 6, B 12 and folate, respectively. The corresponding figures in women were 16.7, 5.1 and 23.5% for vitamins B 6 , B 12 and folate. Age, place of residence and educational level, alcohol use and smoking were also associated with differences in the intake of these nutrients. Biochemical analyses showed that vitamins B 6 , B 12 and folate status was acceptable in 75.7, 89.1 and 57.6% of the population, respectively. Plasma concentration of folate was significantly higher in women. Conclusion: Our results provide a precise estimate of the nutritional status for vitamins B 6 , B 12 and folate in the adult population of southern Spain. Factors such as age, place of residence, level of education and smoking can increase the risk of inadequate intake of some nutrients. However, these factors did not affect biochemical indexes of nutritional status in the present study.

Micronutrient intake and status in Central and Eastern Europe compared with other European countries, results from the EURRECA network

“…Mean serum folate levels in CEE were comparable to those from other European countries (range mean: 16 to 18 nmol/l) (37)(38)(39) , with the exception of Norwegian adults (7 nmol/l) (40) . The mean serum folate levels in CEE populations and in other regions were above the cut-off values for both genders, except for Roma mothers in Czech Republic.…”

High prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women in Venezuela

“…Chile deserves special mention with a successful wheat flour fortification program that has been evaluated recently and resulted in an important decrease of folic acid deficiency (Bunout et al, 1998;Hertrampf et al, 2003). Other countries such as Spain, Cuba and Poland, with important socioeconomic differences, are affected by a high prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B 12 deficiencies (OPS, 1999;Wartanowicz et al, 2001;Planeéis et al, 2003). In Venezuela, there is a high prevalence of folic acid deficiency for all groups analyzed, although vitamin B 12 levels also require immediate action not only due to megaloblastic anemia problems but also the fact that this deficiency is considered an independent risk factor for neural tube defects, due to a reduced cellular uptake of folates in the presence of vitamin B 12 deficiency (Allen, 1994).…”

Dietary intake and status of folate and vitamin B12 and their association with homocysteine and cardiovascular disease in European populations

“…Moderate folate intakes (250-350 mg day À1 ) were observed in Finland, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain (except for the study of Planells et al, 2003) and Greece. Low intakes (o250 mg day À1 ) were observed in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and in one Spanish study (Planells et al, 2003). Similar to folate, within studies men tended to have a higher vitamin B12 intake than women.…”