Abstract
Background: Gastric function, Helicobacter pylori infection, and vitamin B12 (B12) dietary intake were assessed as predictors of serum B12. Methods: H. pylori antibodies, gastric function, B12 dietary intake, and biochemical/hematological parameters were measured in 191 adult women from two rural communities in Querétaro, Mexico. Results: The overall mean serum B12 concentration was 211 ± 117 pmol/L. The prevalences of low (≤ 148 pmol/L), marginal (148 to 221 pmol/L), and adequate (> 221 pmol/L) serum B12 were 28.4%, 31.1%, and 40.5%, respectively. Seventy-one percent of women tested positive for H. pylori antibodies. The prevalence of gastric function categories did not differ by serum B12 categories. The odds ratio for having low serum B12 was 2.7 (p = 0.01) for women with an intake below the estimated average requirement, 3.6 (p = 0.01) for those in the lowest tertile of total B12 intake, and 3.0 (p = 0.02) for those in the lowest tertile of B12 intake from animal source foods. Age and B12 intake were predictors of serum B12 concentrations [serum B12 (pmol/L) = 90.060 + 5.208 (B12 intake, µg/day) + 2.989 (age, years). Conclusions: Low serum B12 concentrations were associated with low B12 dietary intake but not with H. pylori infection or abnormal gastric function in rural Mexican women.
Highlights
A high prevalence of vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency has been identified in previous studies in ruralMexico [1,2]
According to the 2006 and 2012 National Nutrition Surveys, Mexico has experienced a reduction in the prevalence of B12 deficiency that can be explained by the success of national policies to improve micronutrient status [17,18]
We demonstrated that B12 intake was a stronger predictor of serum B12 concentrations than gastric function in a rural population of Mexican women
Summary
A high prevalence of vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency has been identified in previous studies in ruralMexico [1,2]. The higher prevalence of B12 deficiency in the elderly populations is believed to be the result of malabsorption of food-bound B12 related to gastric atrophy associated with aging [4]. In the case of healthy adults with B12 deficiency, it is expected that deficiency originates from dietary intake inadequacy [8] In populations such as those in rural Mexico, it is well known that H. pylori infection and bacterial overgrowth are common [9]. Helicobacter pylori infection, and vitamin B12 (B12) dietary intake were assessed as predictors of serum B12. Methods: H. pylori antibodies, gastric function, B12 dietary intake, and biochemical/hematological parameters were measured in 191 adult women from two rural communities in Querétaro, Mexico.
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