High incidence of maternal vitamin B12 deficiency detected by newborn screening: first results from a study for the evaluation of 26 additional target disorders for the German newborn screening panel

Vitamin B12 is known to be vital for cell growth and population during pregnancy. This retrospective and prospective case−control study was aimed to disclose a health risk for pregnant women with vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as the one of the preterm birth. The main tasks set and performed in this research were as follows: to compare the obstetrics anamnesis between the women who gave birth on term and women who gave birth before term; to find the prevalence of vitamin B12 insufficiency in pregnancy; to determine its association with preterm birth and low birth weight; to examine its association with spontaneous abortions, and to investigate its relationship with obesity and hemoglobin levels in pregnant women. The conducted investigation involved 107 women who gave birth before the 37th week of gestation and 101 women who gave birth after the 37th week of gestation at the outpatient clinic of the University Hospital "Maichin Dom" in Bulgaria. Our study revealed a correlation between maternal vitamin B12 deficiency, overweight and low hemoglobin level. Our results showed no significant correlation between serum vitamin B12 level and the risk of preterm birth. However, we found an inverse association between vitamin B12 level and overweight before pregnancy and at the time of giving birth. As well there was confirmed the strong connection between meat consumption and vitamin B12 level. The paper emphasizes that the deficiency of the vitamin occurs most likely in the women with inadequate diets. Such a deficiency is actually confirmed to have serious health consequences for pregnant women and their offspring. Therefore further profound and numerous studies should be performed to properly assess the correlation between vitamin B12 and preterm birth, as well as to understand better the impact of vitamin B12 over pregnant women. Key words: vitamin B12, preterm birth, pregnancy, overweight, hemoglobin.

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Neonatal Vitamin B12 Deficiency Secondary to Maternal Subclinical Pernicious Anemia: Identification by Expanded Newborn Screening

The Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.01.023 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 152 (5) ◽

pp. 731-733 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Michael Marble ◽

Sara Copeland ◽

Nashat Khanfar ◽

David S. Rosenblatt

Keyword(s):

Newborn Screening ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Pernicious Anemia ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Expanded Newborn Screening ◽

B12 Deficiency

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Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids during gestation and lactation to a vitamin B12-deficient or -supplemented diet improves pregnancy outcome and metabolic variables in Wistar rats

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd13306 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 341 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Amrita Khaire ◽

Richa Rathod ◽

Nisha Kemse ◽

Anvita Kale ◽

Sadhana Joshi

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Pregnancy Outcome ◽

Wistar Rats ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Pufa Supplementation ◽

Maternal Vitamin ◽

B12 Deficiency ◽

Acid Status ◽

Metabolic Variables

Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency leads to an adverse pregnancy outcome and increases the risk for developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome in mothers in later life. Our earlier studies have demonstrated that vitamin B12 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are interlinked in the one carbon cycle. The present study for the first time examines the effect of maternal n-3 PUFA supplementation to vitamin B12 deficient or supplemented diets on pregnancy outcome, fatty-acid status and metabolic variables in Wistar rats. Pregnant dams were assigned to one of the following groups: control, vitamin B12 deficient, vitamin B12 supplemented, vitamin B12 deficient + n-3 PUFA or vitamin B12 supplemented + n-3 PUFA. The amount of vitamin B12 in the supplemented group was 0.50 μg kg–1 diet and n-3 PUFA was alpha linolenic acid (ALA) 1.68, eicosapentaenoic acid 5.64, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) 3.15 (g per 100 g fatty acids per kg diet). Our findings indicate that maternal vitamin B12 supplementation did not affect the weight gain of dams during pregnancy but reduced litter size and weight and was ameliorated by n-3 PUFA supplementation. Vitamin B12 deficiency or supplementation resulted in a low percentage distribution of plasma arachidonic acid and DHA. n-3 PUFA supplementation to these diets improved the fatty-acid status. Vitamin B12 deficiency resulted in higher homocysteine and insulin levels, which were normalised by supplementation with either vitamin B12 or n-3 PUFA. Our study suggests that maternal vitamin B12 status is critical in determining pregnancy outcome and metabolic variables in dams and that supplementation with n-3 PUFA is beneficial.

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Maternal and Neonatal Vitamin B12 Deficiency Detected through Expanded Newborn Screening—United States, 2003–2007

Yearbook of Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.yped.2010.12.084 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 435-436

Author(s):

J.A. Stockman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Newborn Screening ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Expanded Newborn Screening ◽

B12 Deficiency

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P-BN005. Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with increased oxidative stress and DNA damage in brain regions of C57BL/6 mouse offspring

Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.clinph.2021.02.300 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 132 (8) ◽

pp. e122

Author(s):

Shampa Ghosh ◽

Jitendra Kumar Sinha ◽

Manchala Raghunath

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Dna Damage ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Maternal Vitamin ◽

B12 Deficiency

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Newborn Screening for Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Germany—Strategies, Results, and Public Health Implications

The Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.07.052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 216 ◽

pp. 165-172.e4 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Gwendolyn Gramer ◽

Junmin Fang-Hoffmann ◽

Patrik Feyh ◽

Glynis Klinke ◽

Peter Monostori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Newborn Screening ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Health Implications ◽

B12 Deficiency

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Maternal and Neonatal Vitamin B12 Deficiency Detected through Expanded Newborn Screening—United States, 2003–2007

The Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.03.006 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 157 (1) ◽

pp. 162-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Cynthia F. Hinton ◽

Jelili A. Ojodu ◽

Paul M. Fernhoff ◽

Sonja A. Rasmussen ◽

Kelley S. Scanlon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Newborn Screening ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Expanded Newborn Screening ◽

B12 Deficiency

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Assessment of the Vitamin B12 Status of Pregnant Women in Nigeria Using Plasma Holotranscobalamin

ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.5402/2011/365894 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dorothy J. VanderJagt ◽

Innocent A. O. Ujah ◽

Eugene I. Ikeh ◽

Jessica Bryant ◽

Victor Pam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin B12 ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Neural Tube ◽

Neural Tube Defects ◽

Independent Risk Factor ◽

Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽

Antenatal Clinic ◽

Plasma Homocysteine ◽

Maternal Vitamin ◽

B12 Deficiency

Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for neural tube defects and other neurological problems in infants. We determined the vitamin B12 status of 143 pregnant women in Nigeria representing all trimesters who presented to an antenatal clinic in Jos, Nigeria, using holotranscobalamin II levels (holoTCII), which is a measure of the vitamin B12 that is available for uptake into tissues. The holoTCII concentration ranged from 13 to 128 pmol/L. Using a cutoff of 40 pmol/L, 36% of the women were classified as vitamin B12-deficient. HoloTCII concentrations correlated negatively with plasma homocysteine levels (, ) and positively with red blood cell folate concentrations (, ). These data underscore the importance of supplementing pregnant women in Nigeria with vitamin B12 in order to ensure adequate vitamin B12 status and decrease the risk for neural tube defects.

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