Objective: To assess serum B12, folate and the associated homocysteine (Hcy) levels among women of childbearing age in the UK and examine their association with dietary intake in relation to the UK Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) for B12 and folate.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Data from two publicly available National Diet and Nutrition Surveys (NDNS 2000/2001 and 2008/2012) were used. These were population-based surveys of randomly selected samples of adults which were carried out in their households.
Participants: Women of childbearing age (aged 19-39 years), representative of the UK population. Those who were pregnant or breastfeeding were excluded.
Outcome Measures: The associations between micronutrient intakes and blood levels of B12, folate and Hcy were assessed by correlation and stepwise linear regression. B12 intake was divided into quintiles and plotted against blood B12 and Hcy concentrations to determine the threshold of any associations.
Results: 299 women from the first NDNS cohort had complete intake and biomarker data. The prevalence of serum vitamin B12 (≤150 pmol/L) and serum folate (≤10 nmol/L) deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia (≥12 µmol/L) was 12.4%, 6.4% and 21.2%, respectively, despite seemingly adequate B12 intakes (median 3.8 μg/day, 96% consumed more than the UK RNI of 1.5 μg/day). B12 concentrations increased across all quintiles of intake with serum levels in quintiles 4 and 5 (median intake 4.9 and 7.1 μg/day, respectively) significantly higher than quintile 1. However, Hcy concentrations levelled off between quintiles 4 and 5. Comparison of micronutrient intake between the two surveys found that folate intake has reduced in the more recent cohort.
Conclusions: The UK RNI for B12 intake should be increased for women of childbearing age with intakes of around 5-7 μg/day likely to be associated with stable biomarker levels. B12 levels should also be measured in women preconceptionally or in early pregnancy given the high rates of deficiency.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4985863 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011247 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age in the province of Essaouira, Morocco.
BMC Public Health
January 2025
Faculty of Science of Semlalia, Department of Biology, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Low- and middle-income countries are facing a rapid increase in nutritional problems, particularly in Africa, where undernutrition, overweight and micronutrient deficiencies coexist, creating a double burden of malnutrition and a challenge to public health policies. In this context, Morocco stands out for its early nutritional transition, characterized by a moderate prevalence of overweight and undernutrition and elevated levels of micronutrient deficiencies. The aim of this study was to assess the weight status of women of childbearing age and identify its determinants to suggest ways to improve it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAttitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights and their associations with reproductive agency: a population-based cross-sectional study in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
Sex Reprod Health Matters
January 2025
Associate Professor, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Associate Professor, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
We investigated the association between values and attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality, with reproductive agency in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Using 2020-21 World Values Survey (WVS) data (n = 3,096), we utilized the SRHR Support Index including five subindices to gauge SRHR attitudes, the WVS Equality Index for gender equality values, and the perceived level of freedom of choice and control over whether, when, and how many children to have as a proxy for reproductive agency. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse how values and attitudes differed between respondents of high vs low reproductive agency using the median as cutoff, stratified by country and sex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluating the Paucity of Female Surgeons in Plastic Surgery: A Review of the Systemic Barriers to Entry and Success.
Cureus
December 2024
Department of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, USA.
The percentage of practicing female plastic surgeons in the United States is notably low. This narrative review sought to identify prominent barriers affecting women's entry and success in plastic surgery. A literature search was conducted using the National Library of Medicine from 2013 to 2023, using MeSH terms of gender disparity and plastic surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhat is the risk of transfusing group O RhD-positive red blood cells to female service personnel of childbearing potential?
BMJ Mil Health
January 2025
Emergency Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK
The traditional approach to resuscitating injured women of childbearing potential (WCBP) with an unknown RhD type is to transfuse RhD-negative blood products. This is to prevent alloimmunisation to the RhD antigen and ultimately prevent haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) in future pregnancies should she survive. RhD-negative blood products are scarce in both military and civilian blood stocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInclination of antidepressant medication continuation during pregnancy between 2012 and 2023 in Japan: A cohort study.
J Affect Disord
January 2025
Division of Molecular Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8573, Japan; Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8573, Japan; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8574, Japan. Electronic address:
Background: As multiple Japanese academic societies have recently issued treatment guidelines for perinatal antidepressant treatments, it is considered worthwhile to evaluate the latest trends and continuation of antidepressant medication during pregnancy to optimize antenatal prescriptions.
Methods: The prevalence, trend, and continuation of antidepressant use during pregnancy in Japan from 2012 to 2023 were evaluated, using a large administrative claims database, in women whose pregnancies ended in live births. Annual changes were evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for maternal age at delivery.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!