Association of Vitamin B12 with Atherogenic Index of Plasma- A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin B12 has a pivotal role in several metabolic processes and it’s inadequacy can pose serious health implications. Aim: To assess if vitamin B12 inadequacy is associated with increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) based on the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from December 2019 to January 2021. Data of apparently 569 healthy individuals within the age range of 18-60 years, who were screened for vitamin B12 deficiency was collected. The variables were analysed by ANOVA under categories of vitamin B12 level; Deficient (<148 pmol/L), Marginal (148-221 pmol/L) and Sufficient (>221 pmol/L). Correlation and regression analysis were done to find the correlation of vitamin B12 with lipid profile and AIP. The level of significance was set at p-value <0.05. Results: The prevalence of B12 deficiency was found to be 7.2%. B12 was negatively correlated with Triglycerides (TG) (r=-0.161, p-value <0.05). Total Cholesterol (TC) (r=-0.169, p-value <0.05) and AIP (r=-0.15, p-value <0.05). According to regression analysis for every unit increase in B12, the TG and AIP decreased by 0.001 unit and TC reduced by 0.002 unit even after model adjustment for age, gender and BMI. Conclusion: Vitamin B12 is inversely related to AIP. The lower level of vitamin B12 is related to increased cardiovascular risk and poor lipid profile.