[PHNUTR-L] Dietary intake and status of folate and vitamin B12 and their association with homocysteine and cardiovascular disease in European populations

[Kathrynne Holden]

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  Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep 12; [Epub ahead of print]
     Dietary intake and status of folate and vitamin B12 and their 
association with homocysteine and cardiovascular disease in European 
populations.
     Dhonukshe-Rutten RA, de Vries JH, de Bree A, van der Put N, van 
Staveren WA, de Groot LC.

     1Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Netherlands.

     Background/Objectives:Folate and vitamin B12 have been suggested to 
play a role in chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases. The 
objectives are to give an overview of the actual intake and status of 
folate and vitamin B12 in general populations in Europe, and to evaluate 
these in view of the current vitamin recommendations and the 
homocysteine concentration.Methods:Searches in Medline with 'folic 
acid', 'folate' and 'vitamin B12', 'B12' or 'cobalamin' as key words 
were combined with the names of the European countries. Populations 
between 18 and 65 years were included.Results:Sixty-three articles 
reporting on studies from 15 European countries were selected. Low 
folate intakes were observed in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the 
Netherlands. Low intakes of vitamin B12 were not common and only seen in 
one small Greek study. In the countries with a low intake of folate, the 
recommended levels were generally not achieved, which was also reflected 
in the folate status. Vitamin B12 intake was not strongly associated 
with the vitamin B12 status, which can explain why in the Netherlands 
and Germany the vitamin B12 status was inadequate, despite sufficient 
intake levels. In countries with a low folate intake in particular, the 
Hcy concentration was higher than ideal.Conclusions:Populations from the 
Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Germany and Greece may need to 
improve their intakes of folic acid, B12 or both to either meet the 
recommendations or to optimize their statuses. This could be achieved 
via a food-based approach, food fortification or supplements.European 
Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication, 12 September 
2007; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602897.

     PMID: 17851461 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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