Vitamin B12 and folate statuses are associated with diet in pregnant women, but not with anthropometric measurements in term newborns

Objective: To investigate the frequencies of vitamin B-12 and folate deficiencies in pregnant women in low socioeconomic group, the relation between the animal-source foods consumption and maternal vitamin B-12-folate statuses, and their impacts on anthropometric measurements of the infants. Methods: A total of 208 pregnant women in the last trimester were included in the study. A questionnaire about socio-demographic status, consumption of meat, egg, milk-dairy products, multivitamin supplementation was used. Vitamin B-12 and folate concentrations were studied by chemiluminescence method. The babies of Vitamin B-12 deficient mothers were evaluated after birth. Results: The rate of vitamin B-12 deficiency was 47.6% and folate deficiency was 17.3% of pregnant women. Animal food consumption was inadequate about half of pregnant women and vitamin B-12 levels in these women were significantly low. There were no statistically significant relationships between the birth weight, birth length and head circumference measurements, and maternal vitamin B-12 and folate concentrations. Conclusion: The rate of vitamin B-12 deficiency in pregnant women in low socioeconomic population is high. Although there were no significant effects of the vitamin B-12 and folate deficiencies on birth size, additional studies are required to elucidate the subsequent effects.