Reference values for serum levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 in a young adult Ugandan population.

Introduction: Reference values may vary significantly among populations and cultures for which dietary intakes may be different. Each laboratory is expected to investigate the transferability of the expected values to its own patient population and if necessary determine its own reference ranges. This study sought to establish Folic acid and Vitamin B(12) reference values for young Ugandan adults, which reference values could be used as baseline information for future research, especially related to their role in breast cancer prevention.
Methods: A cross sectional study in which 200 undergraduate student volunteers were enrolled. The minimum sample size was 126 using the Open Epi version 2. Relevant demographics and physical examination parameters were taken as well as blood samples for laboratory tests. Prior ethical approval was granted.
Results: The levels of folic acid were 4.17 - 20 ng/ml and remained constant over the age cohorts. The vitamin B(12) range was 117-1158 pg/ml. Both ranges were comparable to ranges seen in other populations.
Conclusion: In as much as the dietary intake for this study population is presumed different from populations in the western countries, the ranges for these two vitamins were similar.