Abstract
Cobalamin and folate are especially important for women of childbearing age due to their ubiquitous role in fetal growth and development. Population-based data on cobalamin and folate status are lacking from Nepal, where diets are mostly vegetarian. The objectives of the study were to investigate cobalamin and folate intake and status, and to explore associations with socio-demographics, anthropometrics, anemia, and dietary habits. Following a random selection of geographical clusters, we collected blood samples from 500 non-pregnant women and 24-h dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaires from a subsample of 379 women. Twenty percent of the women did not consume any food containing cobalamin during the days recalled, and in 72% nutritional cobalamin intake was <1 μg/day. Eighty-four percent of the women had cobalamin intake lower than the estimated average requirement (EAR) (<2 μg/day). In contrast, only 12% of the women had a folate intake less than 100 μg per day, whereas 62% had intake between 100 and 320 μg. Low plasma cobalamin (<150 pmol/L) was found in 42% of the women, most of whom (88%) also had elevated levels of methylmalonic acid. Our results indicated a high prevalence of nutritional cobalamin deficiency, while folate deficiency was uncommon.
Highlights
Our results indicated a high prevalence of nutritional cobalamin deficiency, while folate deficiency was uncommon
Cobalamin is a B-vitamin predominantly contained in foods of animal origin, and nutritional deficiencies have been reported in many populations where diets are predominantly vegetarian, which may lead to development of megaloblastic anemia [12,13,14]
In this cross-sectional study of healthy young non-pregnant women from a semi-urban community, we found a high prevalence of cobalamin deficiency as defined by plasma cobalamin
Summary
Cobalamin is required for DNA synthesis and metabolism of folic acid, and is important for central nervous system function and most rapidly dividing cells, including maturation of red blood cells. Folate coenzymes are essential for methionine regeneration, the shuttle of one-carbon units, and RNA and DNA metabolism, as well as protein synthesis [15]. Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MM) and methionine synthase (MS) are the only two cobalamin-dependent enzymes in human metabolism. Both are essential for nervous system development in humans [7]. Total homocysteine (Hcy) is remethylated to methionine by transfer of a methyl group in a reaction catalyzed by MS using
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