Serum vitamin B(12) concentrations among mothers and newborns and follow-up study to assess implication on the growth velocity and the urinary methylmalonic acid excretion.

OBJECTIVE: Cobalamin (B(12)) deficiency has been reported in infants born to mothers with low cobalamin intake. Early diagnosis of vitamin B(12) deficiency in infants is critical for the prevention of neurobehavioral disorders. We investigated the relationship between serum vitamin B(12) level in newborns and in their healthy mothers who consumed an omnivorous diet. Anthropometry was studied longitudinally to assess the growth velocity of the infants. Urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) excretion of 6-month old infants was compared retrospectively as the biomarker correlated with the initial serum vitamin B(12) concentrations.

METHODS: Serum cobalamin and blood hemoglobin were determined in 84 pairs of newborns and their mothers. Urinary MMA excretion was measured in the same subjects during the first 6 months of the post partum period.

RESULTS: At birth, median serum cobalamin levels were 152.0 pmol/L in the mothers and 296.6 pmol/L in the newborns. Maternal and neonatal serum cobalamin levels had no effect on growth velocity during the first six months of postnatal life. Serum maternal and neonatal cobalamin levels were inversely associated with urinary MMA excretion.

CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of vitamin B(12) status in neonates and infants is crucial, particularly in nutritionally deprived areas. Biochemical measurement of plasma cobalamin or its metabolic marker MMA is highly recommended. Urinary MMA measurement in cobalamin diagnostics provides an advantage in that blood sampling is not required. A vitamin B(12) taskforce should be created to alleviate vitamin deficiency and its negative consequences.