Racial Differences in Vitamin B12 Levels in the United States

Abstract

Studies from Africa have demonstrated that black people have higher vitamin B12 (cobalamin) levels than do white people. The authors compared healthy white people, black people, and Latin-Americans in the United States. Their study is also the largest in which the effect of race and sex on the cobalamin levels has been examined. Analysis of 233 healthy subjects showed that black people had significantly higher (P less than 0.0001) vitamin B12 levels than did white people. Latin-Americans had levels intermediate between those of white and black people, although their levels were significantly different only in comparison with white people (P = 0.0029). Based on the study of 305 healthy subjects, no sex difference in vitamin B12 levels was noted. Conflicting claims have been made on sex difference in the past. The authors conclude that there is a racial but not a sex difference in vitamin B12 levels in the United States. Like African black people, black people and Latin-Americans in this country have significantly higher vitamin B12 levels than do white people. This finding supports the thesis that genetic factors contribute to the racial differences in vitamin B12 levels.

Maternal Vitamin B12 Status and Risk of Neural Tube Defects in a Population With High Neural Tube Defect Prevalence and No Folic Acid Fortification

“…B 12 status, along with genetic differences, may help to explain the low NTD rates seen in some ethnic groups and may also help in understanding why low maternal folate status alone usually does not result in NTD-APs. For example, blacks, who have both lower NTD rates and lower folate levels than other ethnic groups in the United States, have significantly higher B 12 status, 48,49 and this high status is also seen during pregnancy. 50 Our case mothers were all of Irish descent (ie, white) and lived in a region of traditionally high NTD prevalence, suggesting a moderately high genetic predisposition.…”

1047 Vitamin B12 Levels of 0-24 Years-Old People in Konya, Turkey

“…When subjects were stratified according to gender, it was found that vitamin B 12 levels were significantly higher in females at the age of 7 and 14 years and in males at the age of 21 years. However, the findings about the association of gender and vitamin B 12 levels are incompatible with the literature (6,8,11,18,20,22,29). …”

“…One of the characteristics of vitamin B 12 is that its normal values differ between races and societies (4,11,12). This characteristic property makes it necessary to determine the acceptable normal values of vitamin B 12 in each society.…”

“…(i) Ethnic diversity : Some researchers have noted differences in vitamin B 12 levels between the members of the white and black races (4,11,12). Kwee et al .…”

Vitamin B12 and the Risk of Neural Tube Defects in a Folic-Acid-Fortified Population

“…This heterogeneous group of women (mainly Asian and black) may differ from whites in terms of dietary intake and metabolism of B 12 . 16 Surveys suggest that the majority of women in Ontario take a periconceptional tablet supplement containing folic acid, 14,17 in keeping with Canadian guidelines. 18 The small quantity of B 12 contained in each prenatal multivitamin tablet in Canada (2.5 g) is unlikely to explain the observed difference in holoTC levels (for example, if a greater number of controls than cases had initiated multivitamin tablets soon after conception).…”