Poor thiamin and riboflavin status is common among women of childbearing age in rural and urban Cambodia.
BACKGROUND
Thiamin deficiency in infancy is the underlying cause of beriberi, which can be fatal without rapid treatment. Reports of thiamin deficiency are common in Cambodia; however, population representative data are unavailable. Because B-complex vitamin deficiencies commonly occur in combination, riboflavin was also investigated.


OBJECTIVE
We determined the biomarker status of thiamin and riboflavin in women of childbearing age in rural and urban Cambodia.


METHODS
We measured thiamin (erythrocyte thiamin diphosphate; TDP) and riboflavin (erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient; EGRac) status in a representative sample of Cambodian women (aged 20-45 y) in urban Phnom Penh (n = 146) and rural Prey Veng (n = 156), Cambodia, and, for comparison purposes, in a convenience sample of women in urban Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (n = 49).


RESULTS
Thiamin insufficiency (TDP ≤ 90 nmol/L) was common among both urban (39%) and rural (59%) Cambodian women (P < 0.001), whereas <20% of Vancouver women were thiamin insufficient (P < 0.001). The prevalence of suboptimal and deficient riboflavin status (EGRac ≥ 1.3) was 89%, 92%, and 70% among women in Phnom Penh, Prey Veng, and Vancouver, respectively (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Suboptimal status of both thiamin and riboflavin were common in Cambodian women, with substantially higher rates among women living in rural Prey Veng than in urban Phnom Penh. Strategies may be needed to improve the thiamin and riboflavin status of women in Cambodia. The unexpected finding of high riboflavin inadequacy status in Vancouver women warrants further investigation.
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
Kyly C
KC
Whitfield
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
Crystal D
CD
Karakochuk
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
Yazheng
Y
Liu
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; and.
Adrian
A
McCann
Helen Keller International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Aminuzzaman
A
Talukder
Helen Keller International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Hou
H
Kroeun
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; and.
Mary
M
Ward
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; and.
Helene
H
McNulty
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada;
Larry D
LD
Lynd
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
David D
DD
Kitts
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
Eunice C Y
EC
Li-Chan
Food, Nutrition, and Health and.
Judy
J
McLean
Food, Nutrition, and Health and tim.green@ubc.ca.
Timothy J
TJ
Green
D000328:Adult; D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000097:blood; D012257:Riboflavin Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D013831:Thiamine / Q000097:blood; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate / Q000097:blood; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate; D012256:Riboflavin; D013831:Thiamine
Cambodia; Canada; EGRac; erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient; micronutrient deficiency; riboflavin; thiamin; vitamin B-1; vitamin B-2; women