1. Cobalamin and Folate Status among Breastfed Infants in Bhaktapur, Nepal
- Author
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Suman Ranjitkar, Ram Krishna Chandyo, Laxman Shrestha, Tor A. Strand, Mari Hysing, Merina Shrestha, Arve Ulvik, Per Magne Ueland, Ingrid Kvestad, and Manjeswori Ulak
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Male ,Total homocysteine ,homocysteine and Nepal ,Methylmalonic acid ,Physiology ,combined B12 ,Nutritional Status ,Folic Acid Deficiency ,folate ,Cobalamin ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Folic Acid ,Nepal ,hemic and lymphatic diseases ,polycyclic compounds ,Medicine ,Humans ,heterocyclic compounds ,cobalamin ,Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ,Homocysteine ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,methylmalonic acid ,Plasma samples ,integumentary system ,business.industry ,infants ,nutritional and metabolic diseases ,Infant ,Vitamin B 12 Deficiency ,Micronutrient ,Vitamin B 12 ,Breast Feeding ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,chemistry ,Female ,business ,Biomarkers ,Food Science - Abstract
Cobalamin and folate are crucial micronutrients during infancy and they are required for growth and cognitive development. Due to the monotonous and predominantly vegetarian-based complementary feeding and poor maternal micronutrient status, infants from low- and middle-income countries are susceptible to cobalamin deficiency. However, data on plasma cobalamin and folate and the functional markers methylmalonic acid and total homocysteine from breastfed infants in Nepal are still needed. We collected plasma samples from 316 6–11-month-old breastfed infants with a length-for-age of less than minus one z-score and analyzed blood for plasma folate, cobalamin, methylmalonic acid and total homocysteine concentrations. Cobalamin deficiency (plasma cobalamin 10 µmol/L) and methylmalonic acid (>0.28 µmol/L) indicating functional cobalamin deficiency were found among 53% and 75% of the infants, respectively. Based on a combined indicator of cobalamin status, 58% were found to have low cobalamin status. However, folate deficiency ( more...
- Published
- 2018