Folate and vitamin B 12 status of women of reproductive age living in Hanoi City and Hai Duong Province of Vietnam
Bibliographic Data
Objectives To assess the folate and vitamin B 12 status of a group of Vietnamese women of reproductive age and to estimate the rate of neural tube defects (NTD) based on red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations. Design and subjects A representative sample of non-pregnant women (15–49 years) living in Hanoi City ( n 244) and Hai Duong Province ( n 245). Measures RBC folate, plasma vitamin B 12 and plasma holo-transcobalamin (holoTC), a sensitive indicator of vitamin B 12 status. Results Mean (95 % CI) concentrations of RBC folate, plasma B 12 and plasma holoTC were 856 (837, 876) nmol/l, 494 (475, 513) pmol/l and 78 (74, 82) pmol/l, respectively. Only 3 % and 4 % of women had plasma B 12 and holoTC concentrations indicative of deficiency. No woman had an RBC folate concentration indicative of deficiency ( Conclusion There was no evidence of folate and vitamin B 12 deficiency among this population of Vietnamese women. However, suboptimal folate status may be placing three out of five women at increased risk of NTD. Reductions in NTD rates are still possible and women would benefit from additional folic acid during the periconceptional period from either supplements or fortified foods
Biology · Environmental health · folic acid · Population · Pregnancy · Vietnamese · Vitamin · Vitamin B12 · Folate and B Vitamins Research · Medicine · Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects · Endocrinology · Internal Medicine · Physiology
| Citations per year | 0.07 |
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| Citation span | 2011 - 2011 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |