Persistence of vitamin B12 insufficiency among elderly women after folic acid food fortification

Objective: To estimate the associated risk of folate and vitamin B 12 (B 12) insufficiency, as well as vitamin repletion, following folic acid food fortification. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study over a 5-year period. Setting: Two large laboratory databases in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Participants: Canadian women aged 65 years and over who underwent concomitant clinical testing of serum folate and B 12 during the pre-fortification period of January 1996 to December 1997 in Ontario (n = 733) and British Columbia (n = 3839), and in the near-complete post-fortification period of January 1998 to December 2000 in Ontario (n = 4415) and British Columbia (n = 6677). Measurements: Geometric mean concentrations of serum folate and B 12 before and after folate fortification. Prevalence ratios (PR) were used to separately compare the post- and pre-fortification period rates of folate deficiency (below 6.0 nmol/L); B 12 insufficiency (below 150 pmol/L): and B12 insufficiency in combination with supraphysiological concentrations of serum folate (above 45 nmol/L). Results: The mean baseline folate and B 12 concentrations were similar between provinces. Using the combined provincial data, the mean serum folate concentration increased by 64% after fortification, from 14.8 to 24.2 nmol/L (p < 0.001). The average B12 concentration increased from 280 to 300 pmol/L, which was more pronounced in BC (p < 0.001) than in Ontario (p = 0.16). The prevalence of folate deficiency declined from 6.3% to 0.88% after fortification (PR 0.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11-0.18), while the decline in B12 deficiency was less pronounced (PR 0.78, 95% CI 0.71-0.86). The prevalence of combined B12 insufficiency with supraphysiological concentrations of serum folate increased from 0.09% pre-fortification to 0.61% post (PR 7.0, 95% CI 2.6-19.2). Conclusions: The introduction of folic acid food fortification was associated with a substantial improvement in the folate status of Canadian women aged 65 years and older, paralleled by a large decline in the rate of folate deficiency. Improvement in the B 12 status of these women was far less pronounced. Because the prevalence of combined B12 insufficiency and supraphysiological concentrations of serum folate may have increased with folic acid food fortification, consideration should be given to confirming this finding, and possibly, to the addition of B12 to folate fortified foods. Sponsorship: Public Health Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Potential conflict of interest: None (C) 2003 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.