title: Vitamin B-12 and Perinatal Health.
abstract: Vitamin B-12 deficiency (<148 pmol/L) is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, including developmental anomalies, spontaneous abortions, preeclampsia, and low birth weight (<2500 g). The importance of adequate vitamin B-12 status periconceptionally and during pregnancy cannot be overemphasized, given its fundamental role in neural myelination, brain development, and growth. Infants born to vitamin B-12-deficient women may be at increased risk of neural tube closure defects, and maternal vitamin B-12 insufficiency (<200 pmol/L) can impair infant growth, psychomotor function, and brain development, which may be irreversible. However, the underlying causal mechanisms are unknown. This review was conducted to examine the evidence that links maternal vitamin B-12 status and perinatal outcomes. Despite the high prevalence of vitamin B-12 deficiency and associated risk of pregnancy complications, few prospective studies and, to our knowledge, only 1 randomized trial have examined the effects of vitamin B-12 supplementation during pregnancy. The role of vitamin B-12 in the etiology of adverse perinatal outcomes needs to be elucidated to inform public health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India jfinkelstein@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.identifier: orcid.org/0000-0001-9512-5559
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and.
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Layden
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.identifier: orcid.org/0000-0002-7546-3814
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stover
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: child health; cobalamin; one-carbon metabolism; pregnancy; vitamin B-12