title: Vitamin B12, folate, homocysteine and urinary methylmalonic acid levels in infants.
abstract: Serum vitamin B12 and folate, and their functional markers, plasma homocysteine and urinary methylmalonate (uMMA) were measured in 204 healthy, term infants at birth, and at 2 and 6 months. Compared with infants receiving formula food, those fed mother's milk had lower vitamin B12 and folate at 2 and 6 months. In infants receiving mother's milk, vitamin B12 levels were similar at birth (238 pg/ml) and 2 months (243 pg/ml), whereas with formula milk the level was significantly higher at 2 months (558 pg/ml) than at birth (257 pg/ml). Vitamin B12 was negatively correlated with homocysteine at birth and 6 months. The level of uMMA (mmol/mol creatinine) was higher at 2 (mother's milk, 25.5; formula, 23.97) and 6 months (19.77; 15) than at birth (11.97; 10.88), and was not correlated with vitamin B12 levels. Homocysteine may be a reliable marker of vitamin B12 status in neonates and infants; however, uMMA is not suitable as a marker of vitamin B12 status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, GATA Haydarpasa Teaching Hospital, Uskudar, Istanbul, Turkey. ferhankarademir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karademir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suleymanoglu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ersen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydinoz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gultepe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meral
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozkaya
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gocmen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006710:Homocysteine; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid; D005492:Folic Acid; D003404:Creatinine; D014805:Vitamin B 12