Jeruszka-Bielak Marta, Isman Carly, Schroder Theresa H, Li Wangyang, Green Tim J, Lamers Yvonne
Food Nutrition and Health Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Current address: Department of Human Nutrition, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland..
Nutrients. 2017 Mar 23;9(4):317. doi: 10.3390/nu9040317.
Vitamin B12 (B12) adequacy during pregnancy is crucial for maternal health and optimal fetal development; however, suboptimal B12 status has been reported in pregnant Canadian women. Methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a sensitive indicator of B12 status. Since few studies have measured MMA during pregnancy in Canadian women, the objective of this study was to evaluate B12 status in pregnant women living in Metro Vancouver, using both plasma total B12 and MMA. We recruited a convenience sample of 320 pregnant women between 20 and 35 gestational weeks from local healthcare facilities. Plasma total B12 concentrations indicative of deficiency (<148 pmol/L) and suboptimal B12 status (148-220 pmol/L) were found in 18% and 33% of the women, respectively. Normal plasma MMA concentration (<210 nmol/L) was observed in 82% of all women. Gestational age was a strong predictor of plasma total B12 and MMA concentration, and South Asian ethnicity of B-12 deficiency and MMA concentrations. Overall, there was a high discrepancy between the prevalence of B12 inadequacy depending on the biomarker used. Independently, however, South Asian women were at particular risk for B12 deficiency, likely due to lower animal source food intake. Further study of this vulnerable group and performance testing of B12 biomarkers is warranted.
孕期维生素B12（B12）充足对母体健康和胎儿的最佳发育至关重要；然而，据报道加拿大孕妇的B12状态不理想。甲基丙二酸（MMA）是B12状态的一个敏感指标。由于很少有研究测量加拿大女性孕期的MMA，本研究的目的是通过血浆总B12和MMA来评估大温哥华地区孕妇的B12状态。我们从当地医疗机构招募了320名孕20至35周的孕妇作为便利样本。分别有18%和33%的女性血浆总B12浓度表明存在缺乏（<148 pmol/L）和B12状态不理想（148 - 220 pmol/L）。82%的女性血浆MMA浓度正常（<210 nmol/L）。孕周是血浆总B12和MMA浓度的有力预测指标，南亚族裔与B12缺乏及MMA浓度相关。总体而言，根据所使用的生物标志物，B12不足的患病率存在很大差异。然而，独立来看，南亚女性尤其有B12缺乏的风险，可能是由于动物源性食物摄入量较低。有必要对这个弱势群体进行进一步研究以及对B12生物标志物进行性能测试。
