title: Status of Vitamin B12 and Folate among the Urban Adult Population in South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deficiency of vitamin B12 (B12) and folate (FA) leads to a wide spectrum of disorders that affect all age groups. However, reports on B12 and FA status in healthy adults in India are limited. Hence, we determined the plasma levels and dietary intake of B12 and FA in the adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in an urban setup among 630 apparently healthy adults distributed into 3 age groups: 21-40, 41-60 and >60 years. Plasma concentrations of B12 and FA were analyzed by radio immunoassay and dietary intake by 24-hour recall method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of FA deficiency was 12%, but there was no significant difference in plasma FA concentrations among the groups. While the overall prevalence of B12 deficiency was 35%, it was significantly higher in the 21-40 (44%) and 41-60 age groups (40%) when compared with the >60 group (30%). B12 deficiency was higher in vegetarians (54%) compared to those consuming mixed diet (31%), and the reverse was the case with FA. However, the dietary intakes of FA and B12 were not significantly different among the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate a higher prevalence of B12 deficiency in apparently healthy adults in an urban setup.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sivaprasad
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shalini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Balakrishna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sudarshan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopamudra
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suryanarayana
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arlappa
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Ravikumar
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Radhika
authors.forename: G Bhanuprakash
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Reddy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D014505:Urban Population; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12