B12 Supplementation may Help Women Avoid B12 Deficiency

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. The study suggests vitamin B12 supplementation may be a very effective way for women to avoid B12 deficiency. 

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin required for proper red blood cell formation, nerve function, DNA synthesis, and maintaining healthy levels of an inflammatory protein called homocysteine. Recommended intakes of B12 range from 0.4 micrograms per day in infants to 2.8 micrograms per day in lactating women. Blood levels below 170–250 picograms/milliliter for adults indicate a vitamin B12 deficiency (1).

Vitamin B12 has shown benefits ranging from mental health (2) to digestive health (3). A significant area of concern with vitamin B12 deficiency is during pregnancy, as B12 is crucial for proper nervous system and blood development in the fetus (4). Now a new study (5) suggests vitamin B12 supplementation may be a very effective way for women to avoid B12 deficiency.

The study involved 62 women between the ages of 18 and 50. For six months, they received either a vitamin B12 supplement (6 micrograms per day = 21 women), placebo (21 women), or dietary advice on consuming foods to increase B12 intake (20 women). Dietary B12 intake was estimated from a B12 food-specific frequency questionnaire. Blood samples were taken before and after the 6-month intervention period. The researchers measured not only B12 blood levels but also a levels of B12 in each cell called “holotranscobalamin” as it provides “a more comprehensive picture of B12 status than [B12 blood level] testing alone (6).

Before the study began, 48% of women tested as “insufficient” or “deficient” in serum B12 (< 222 picomoles/Liter), 51% as “insufficient” or “deficient” in holotranscobalamin (< 45 picomoles/Liter), and 44% of women reported insufficient dietary B12 intake according to the food frequency questionnaires (< 2.4 micrograms/day).

Of the three groups assigned to increase B12 levels, only the B12 supplement group recorded a significant increase in B12 biomarkers over 6 months:

Unfortunately, no data was given on how many subjects in the supplement group attained “sufficient” levels of B12 group compared to the other two groups. Raw data was not provided for the groups, only the % changes.

For the researchers, “This vitamin B12 study provides preliminary support for physiological doses of oral cyanocobalamin supplementation as an effective and acceptable strategy for improving B12 status preconception.”

Source: Mearns, G. J., J. Koziol-McLain, V. Obolonkin, and E. C. Rush. “Preventing vitamin B12 deficiency in South Asian women of childbearing age: a randomised controlled trial comparing an oral vitamin B12 supplement with B12 dietary advice.” European journal of clinical nutrition 68, no. 8 (2014): 870.

© 2014 European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, practices in Hauppauge, NY. As a Certified Strength and Condition Specialist and certified baseball pitching coach with the National Pitching Association, Dr. Arnold specializes in nutrition, conditioning, and injury prevention of baseball pitchers and student-athletes from all athletic backgrounds. Dr. Arnold completed his Chiropractic studies at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL. Visit his web site at www.pitchingdoc.com.

References:

1. “Vitamin B12” posted on the National Institutes of Helath’s Office of Dietary Supplements Website
2. Hooshmand B. Homocysteine and holotranscobalamin and the risk of Alzheimer disease: A longitudinal study. Neurol 2010; 75(16): 1408-1414
3. Yakut M. Serum vitamin B12 and folate status in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Eur Jou Int Med 2010; 21(4): 320-323
4. Wadhwani NS, Pisal HR, Mehendale SS, Joshi SR. A prospective study of maternal fatty acids, micronutrients and homocysteine and their association with birth outcome. Matern Child Nutr 2013; e-pub ahead of print 25 June 2013; doi:10.1111/mcn.12062.
5. Mearns GJ. Preventing vitamin B12 deficiency in South Asian women of childbearing age: a randomised controlled trial comparing an oral vitamin B12 supplement with B12 dietary advice. Eur J Clin Nutr 2014 Aug;68(8):870-5. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.56. Epub 2014 Apr 16
6. Herrmann W, Obeid R, Schorr H, Geisel J. The usefulness of holotranscobalamin in predicting vitamin B12 status in different clinical settings. Curr Drug Metab 2005; 6: 47–53.