| Title |
Methylmalonic Acid Levels and their Relation with Cobalamin Supplementation in Spanish Vegetarians
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, July 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11130-018-0677-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Angélica Gallego-Narbón, Belén Zapatera, Inmaculada Álvarez, M. Pilar Vaquero |
| Abstract |
Cobalamin deficiency represents a health issue for vegetarians, especially vegans, if supplements are not consumed. Vitamin B12 serum levels, traditionally used to assess the vitamin B12 status, can be normal under functional deficiency conditions. In this regard, methylmalonic acid (MMA) has proven to be a more specific marker to detect subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency. In this study, we present for the first time the cobalamin status of Spanish vegetarians using both vitamin B12 and MMA markers, and the effects of the plant-based diet and the intake of vitamin B12 supplements. Healthy adults were recruited (n = 103, 52% vegans). Dietary preferences and use of supplements were assessed by questionnaires and serum samples were collected and stored. Vitamin B12 was measured by chemiluminiscence and MMA by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using solid phase extraction for sample preparation. Obtained values, median (IQR), were: vitamin B12, 278.9 (160.2) pmol/l and MMA, 140.2 (78.9) nmol/l. No significant differences between lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans were observed. Considering these two markers, 10% of the participants were mild vitamin B12 deficient. Supplementation (75% of the participants) was associated with higher vitamin B12 (p < 0.001) and lower MMA (p = 0.012). In conclusion, Spanish vegetarians have low risk of vitamin B12 deficiency due to vitamin B12 supplementation and the MMA determination is useful to detect mild deficiency. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 29 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 15 | 52% |
| Mexico | 1 | 3% |
| Argentina | 1 | 3% |
| France | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 11 | 38% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 22 | 76% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 7 | 24% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 68 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 68 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 13 | 19% |
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 18% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 5 | 7% |
| Researcher | 4 | 6% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 8 | 12% |
| Unknown | 23 | 34% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 14 | 21% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 13 | 19% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 6% |
| Psychology | 4 | 6% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 6 | 9% |
| Unknown | 24 | 35% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 21. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 20 July 2023.
All research outputs
#1,783,519
of 25,176,926 outputs
Outputs from Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
#73
of 746 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#36,467
of 334,226 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
#2
of 6 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,176,926 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 92nd percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 746 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 8.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 90% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 6 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 4 of them.