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Cobalamin and folate status in women during early pregnancy in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

ABSTRACT: The demand for cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folate is increased during pregnancy, and deficiency during pregnancy may lead to complications and adverse outcomes. Yet, the status of these micronutrients is unknown in many populations. We assessed the concentration of cobalamin, folate and their functional biomarkers, total homocysteine (tHcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA), in 561 pregnant women enrolled in a community-based randomised controlled trial in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Plasma concentrations of cobalamin, folate, tHcy and MMA were measured and a combined indicator of vitamin B12 status (3cB12) was calculated. We report mean or median concentrations and the prevalence of deficiency according to commonly used cut-offs, and assessed their association with indicators of socio-economic status, and maternal and dietary characteristics by linear regression. Among the women at gestational week less than 15, deficiencies of cobalamin and folate were seen in 24 and 1 %, respectively. Being a vegetarian was associated with lower plasma cobalamin, and a higher socio-economic status was associated with a better micronutrient status. We conclude that cobalamin deficiency defined by commonly used cut-offs was common in Nepalese women in early pregnancy. In contrast, folate deficiency was rare. As there is no consensus on cut-off points for vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy, future studies are needed to assess the potential functional consequences of these low values.

SUBMITTER: Schwinger C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8358842 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundChildren in low and middle income countries may have many risk factors for poor cognitive development, and are accordingly at a high risk of not reaching their developmental potential. Determinants for cognitive development in early life can be found among biological and socioeconomic factors, as well as in stimulation and learning opportunities.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to identify determinants of cognitive, language and motor development in 6-11 months old Nepalese infants.MethodsSix hundred infants with a length-for-age z-score <-1 were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler development, 3rd edition (Bayley-III). Information on socioeconomic factors, child and maternal demographics, clinical and biological factors, and the home environment were collected. In a manual stepwise variable selection procedure, we examined the association between selected biological, socioeconomic and stimulation and learning opportunity variables and the Bayley-III cognitive, language and motor development subscale scores in multiple linear regression models.ResultsThe length-for-age z-scores was positively associated with the cognitive composite score [standardized beta (ß): 0.22, p < 0.001] and the motor composite score [(ß): 0.14, p = 0.001]. Children born with low birth weight (<2500 g) scored significantly lower on all subscale scores. Diarrheal history was associated with poor language composite scores, and females had higher language composite scores than boys [(ß): 0.11, p = 0.015]. Children who had been hospitalized during the first month of life had also lower cognitive and motor composite scores than those who had not been hospitalized. Parental reports of physical punishment and lack of spontaneous vocalization were associated with poor cognitive and language composite scores, respectively. The statistical models with the various subscale scores as dependent variables explained between 8 to 16 percent of the variability in the cognitive developmental outcomes.ConclusionOur findings reveal important determinants for developmental scores in infancy, and underline the role of biological risk factors faced by marginalized children in low and middle income countries such as in Nepal.

Project description:BackgroundInfant birthweight is an important public health indicator that is a proxy of maternal and baby's health. Earthquakes can cause acute distress, but can also contribute to chronic stress through long-term disruptions to social, economic and domestic circumstances. The aims of this study were to examine the direct effect of earthquake experiences on the birthweight of infants of women who experienced the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes during pregnancy and whether mental health mediated this relationship.MethodsThis is a prospective, population-based cohort study. Pregnant women in Bhaktapur District, Nepal who had experienced the 2015 earthquakes after conception were recruited. Baseline data were collected in structured individual interviews. Follow up was a short telephone interview two weeks after the baby's birth. Infant birthweight recorded on the hospital-issued birth certificate. The direct effect of earthquake experiences on birthweight and the indirect effect via antenatal common mental disorders (CMDs) were tested using Sobel tests simultaneously.ResultsIn total 497/498 women contributed baseline data and 469 (94.4%) women also provided the birth weight of their infants. In total 6% of infants had low birth weight (< 2.5 kg). The earthquake experiences did not have a significant direct effect on birthweight (p = 0.116). However, the effect of earthquake experiences had a significant indirect effect on infant birthweight via CMDs. When 15 covariates were controlled, women who had moderate to severe earthquake experiences had an increase of 1.58 scores of antenatal CMD symptoms that resulted in their babies being 20.50 g lighter than those who had low earthquake experiences (p = 0.026).ConclusionsThe findings from this study indicate that the relationship is mediated by the mental health of women during pregnancy. Data demonstrate that the mental health of women who are pregnant should be prioritised in post-disaster management not only because of the burden experienced by women but also because of the risk for the growth and development of their babies.

Project description:BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) evolves from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors during prenatal development. Since identifying maternal biomarkers associated with ASD risk in offspring during early pregnancy might result in new strategies for intervention, we investigated maternal metabolic biomarkers in relation to occurrence of ASD in offspring using both univariate logistic regression and multivariate network analysis.MethodsSerum samples from 100 women with an offspring diagnosed with ASD and 100 matched control women with typically developing offspring were collected at week 14 of pregnancy. Concentrations of 62 metabolic biomarkers were determined, including amino acids, vitamins (A, B, D, E, and K), and biomarkers related to folate (vitamin B9) metabolism, lifestyle factors, as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), the kynurenine-tryptophan ratio (KTR), and neopterin as markers of inflammation and immune activation.ResultsWe found weak evidence for a positive association between higher maternal serum concentrations of folate and increased occurrence of ASD (OR per 1 SD increase: 1.70, 95% CI 1.22-2.37, FDR adjusted P = 0.07). Multivariate network analysis confirmed expected internal biochemical relations between the biomarkers. Neither inflammation markers nor vitamin D3 levels, all hypothesized to be involved in ASD etiology, displayed associations with ASD occurrence in the offspring.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that high maternal serum folate status during early pregnancy may be associated with the occurrence of ASD in offspring. No inference about physiological mechanisms behind this observation can be made at the present time because blood folate levels may have complex relations with nutritional intake, the cellular folate status and status of other B-vitamins. Therefore, further investigations, which may clarify the potential role and mechanisms of maternal blood folate status in ASD risk and the interplay with other potential risk factors, in larger materials are warranted.

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Cobalamin and folate status in women during early pregnancy in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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