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Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Series

B12

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Australian Healthy Eating Index Is Associated With Homocysteine, Vitamin B12 And Folate Biomarkers, Ali Sadeghpour, Jo Russell, Vicki Flood, Paul Mitchell Jan 2011

Australian Healthy Eating Index Is Associated With Homocysteine, Vitamin B12 And Folate Biomarkers, Ali Sadeghpour, Jo Russell, Vicki Flood, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.


Folate And Vitamin B12 In Older Australians, Victoria M. Flood, Paul Mitchell Jan 2007

Folate And Vitamin B12 In Older Australians, Victoria M. Flood, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The recent viewpoint by Kamien1 and letter by Gunasekera2 rightly highlight the benefits of folate fortification and the unlikely occurrence of masking pernicious anaemia. Food Standards Australia New Zealand recently submitted a proposal supporting the mandatory fortification of bread-making flour to increase folate intakes in women of child-bearing age, with the aim of reducing the risk of children being born with neural tube defects.3 This proposal has had extensive public comment and will be considered by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. Several public groups and individuals continue to raise concerns that higher dietary folate levels could …


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 Jan 2006

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 Jan 2006

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 …