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Prevalence Of Low Serum Folate And Vitamin B12 In An Older Australian Population, Victoria M. Flood, Wayne T. Smith, Karen L. Webb, Elena Rochtchina, Valerie Anderson, Paul Mitchell
Prevalence Of Low Serum Folate And Vitamin B12 In An Older Australian Population, Victoria M. Flood, Wayne T. Smith, Karen L. Webb, Elena Rochtchina, Valerie Anderson, Paul Mitchell
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Objective: To examine the prevalence of low serum folate and vitamin B12, in association with elevated serum homocysteine, in a representative sample of older Australians. Methods: During 1997-2000, 3,508 persons aged 50+ years were examined in a population-based cohort study conducted in two postcodes, west of Sydney, Australia. Of these, 2,901 participants (82.7%) provided fasting blood for estimates of serum folate, vitamin B12 and total homocysteine. Results: Low serum B12 (<185 pmol>/L) was found in 22.9% of participants and low serum folate (<6.8 nmol/L) in 2.3% of participants. Among those people with very low serum vitamin B12 (<125 pmol/L) and low serum folate, 51% had elevated homocysteine. Conclusions: Low serum levels of vitamin B12 and elevated serum homocysteine are relatively frequent in older Australians. Implications: Appropriate public health action should be considered to reduce the prevalence of low serum vitamin B12 and elevated homocysteine in older Australians.
Vitamin B12 In Older Australians, Victoria M. Flood
Vitamin B12 In Older Australians, Victoria M. Flood
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)
The prevalence of low blood levels of the vitamins folate and B12 increase as people age and can lead to several potential poor health outcomes. Low folate can cause gastrointestinal tract disturbances and megaloblastic anaemia (reduced number of abnormally large red blood cells). Low vitamin B12 can also cause anaemia as well as neuropathy (nerve damage) with problems such as difficulties with walking, tingling of the hands and feet, and cognitive decline such as memory loss. We recently published data about a population-based group of 2901 older people in the Blue Mountains, aged 50 years and over, collected as part …