ArticleBMC public health2025
The impact of the economic crisis and reported food insecurity in Lebanon on vitamin B12 and folate levels: a retrospective study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLebanon experienced a severe economic crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion in August 2020. This crisis pushed over half of the population into poverty resulting in widespread food insecurity. The latter often leads to inadequate intake of essential micronutrients such as vitamin B12 and folate. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the influence of the economic crisis on the prevalence of these micronutrient deficiencies.
methodsThis retrospective study, conducted at Al Zahraa Hospital University Medical Center in Beirut, investigated the impact of Lebanon's economic crisis on the prevalence of vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies. Data from 3,116 participants who underwent vitamin B12 and/or folate testing between January 2018 and June 2022 were analyzed. The study aimed to compare the prevalence of these deficiencies before (2018-2019) and during the crisis (2020-2022).
resultsResults showed no significant change in folate levels or deficiency prevalence during the crisis. However, there was a notable increase in vitamin B12 deficiency, from 9.8% before the crisis to 14% during the crisis. Male patients and young adults were more likely to experience folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies, respectively. The findings highlight the crisis's detrimental impact on food security and nutritional health in Lebanon, particularly concerning vitamin B12 deficiency.
conclusionsIn conclusion, this study underscores the importance of addressing food security to prevent micronutrient deficiencies and their associated health risks in crisis-affected populations. The significant rise in vitamin B12 deficiency during the economic crisis in Lebanon calls for urgent public health interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.