ArticlePloS one2021
Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency and perinatal outcomes in southern India.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin B12 supplementation for growth, development, and cognition in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Deficiency of B vitamins in women of childbearing age, pregnant, and lactating women in Brazil: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Vitamin B12 and Folate Status in Pregnant Females and Their Infants in Norway: Secondary Analysis from the Mommy's Food Study.The Journal of nutrition · 2023Trial
- Cobalamin and folate status in women during early pregnancy in Bhaktapur, Nepal.Journal of nutritional science · 2021Trial
- Vitamin B12 in early childhood: a phenotype-guided approach to deficiency and unexpectedly elevated concentrations.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Review
- Importance of Vitamin Supplementation During Pregnancy: Pancytopenia in a 3-Month-Old Neonate.Reports (MDPI) · 2026Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of vitamin A deficiency (1990-2021) and projections to 2042: associations with sociodemographic development.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Effects of vitamin B12 supplementation on oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines during pregnancy and postpartum among Bangladeshi mother-child pairs.BMC nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- B12 Deficiency is the Commonest Cause of Anaemia During Pregnancy in Northern India: Study from a Tertiary Care Institute.Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion · 2024Article
- Association of maternal and cord vitamin B12 levels with anthropometry in term neonates born to malnourished mothers in coastal South India.F1000Research · 2024Article
- Micronutrient deficiencies and their co-occurrence among pregnant women in Mbeya region, Tanzania.PloS one · 2024Article
- Associations of Dietary Patterns and Vitamin D Levels with Iron Status in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Diagnostic reliability of serum active B12 (holo-transcobalamin) in true evaluation of vitamin B12 deficiency: Relevance in current perspective.BMC research notes · 2022Article
- Acquired Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Newborns: Positive Impact on Newborn Health through Early Detection.Nutrients · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. Few prospective studies have investigated vitamin B12 status early in pregnancy, and its links to infant vitamin B12 status, particularly in India where the burden of vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to be the highest globally. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of maternal vitamin B12 biomarkers with neonatal vitamin B12 status.
methodsPregnant women (~12 weeks' gestation) were enrolled in a perinatal cohort study in Bangalore, India. Total vitamin B12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), and homocysteine concentrations were evaluated in maternal samples at enrollment and in neonates at birth using cord blood. Linear and binomial regression models were used to evaluate the associations of maternal vitamin B12 biomarkers with neonatal vitamin B12 status and perinatal outcomes.
resultsA total of 63.2% of women had vitamin B12 deficiency (<148 pmol/L), 87.2% had vitamin B12 insufficiency (<221 pmol/L), and 47.3% had impaired vitamin B12 status (vitamin B12<148 pmol/L and MMA>0.26μmol/L) at enrollment; 40.8% of neonates had vitamin B12 deficiency, 65.6% were insufficiency, and 38.1% had impaired vitamin B12 status at birth. Higher maternal vitamin B12 concentrations at enrollment were associated with increased neonatal vitamin B12 concentrations (β(SE): 0.40 (0.05); p<0.0001) and lower risk of neonatal vitamin B12 deficiency (Risk Ratio [RR]: 0.53; 95% CI: [0.43, 0.65]; p<0.0001). Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency (RR: 1.97 [1.43, 2.71]; p<0.001), insufficiency (RR: 2.18 [1.23, 3.85]; p = 0.007), and impaired vitamin B12 status (RR: 1.49 [1.13, 1.97]; p = 0.005) predicted a two-fold increase in the risk of neonatal vitamin B12 deficiency at birth.
conclusionsThe prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was high early in pregnancy and predicted neonatal vitamin B12 status. Future research is needed to determine the role of vitamin B12 in the development of pregnancy and infant outcomes, and to inform screening and interventions to improve maternal and child health.
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