MSGID: 1:317/3 627201d2   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    B12 deficiency harms young children's development, and the food relief   
   we provide isn't good enough    
      
     Date:   
         May 3, 2022   
     Source:   
         University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science   
     Summary:   
         Vitamin B12 deficiency in infants leads to poor motor development   
         and anemia, according to a new study . B12 deficiency is an   
         enormous, yet overlooked problem, and the food relief currently   
         suppied is not helping.   
      
         According to the researchers, the problem calls for new solutions.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Vitamin B12 deficiency in infants leads to poor motor development   
   and anaemia, according to a study from Burkina Faso conducted by the   
   University of Copenhagen and Me'decins Sans Frontie`res. B12 deficiency   
   is an enormous, yet overlooked problem, and the food relief we currently   
   supply is not helping.   
      
   According to the researchers, the problem calls for new solutions.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   In Denmark, cases of poor psychomotor development are regularly seen in   
   young children raised on vegan diets, though such outcomes are preventable   
   with daily B12 supplements. But for children in low-income countries, the   
   chances of ever meeting their vitamin B12 requirements are far worse. This   
   is reflected in widespread B12 deficiency among young children in Burkina   
   Faso, according to a study from the University of Copenhagen conducted   
   in collaboration with Me'decins Sans Frontie`res (Doctor's Without   
   Borders). The results have been published in the journal Plos Medicine.   
      
   A lack of vitamin B12 doesn't just potentially lead to anaemia, it can   
   damage the nervous system. And for young children, B12 is crucial for   
   brain development.   
      
   "Among the many children who participated in our study, we found a strong   
   correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and poor motor development and   
   anaemia," says Henrik Friis, first author of the study and a professor   
   at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Nutrition, Exercise   
   and Sports.   
      
   For many years, there has been a focus on vitamin A, zinc and iron   
   deficiencies when it comes to malnutrition across the globe, whereas   
   there is a paucity of research on B12 deficiency.   
      
   "B12 deficiency is one of the most overlooked problems out there when   
   it comes to malnutrition. And unfortunately, we can see that the food   
   relief we provide today is not up to the task," says Henrik Friis, who has   
   worked with nutrition and health in low-income countries for many years.   
      
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Over 1,000 children with acute malnutrition aged 6-23 months participated   
   in the study. The children's B12 levels were measured both before and   
   after three months of daily food relief rations containing the recommended   
   B12 content.   
      
   When the study began, two-thirds of the children had either low or   
   marginal levels of B12.   
      
   Short term food relief does not fill up B12 stores "During the period   
   when children were provided with food relief, their B12 levels increased,   
   before decreasing considerably once we stopped the programme.   
      
   Despite provisioning them with food relief for three months, their stores   
   remained far from topped up. This, when a typical food relief programme   
   only runs for four weeks," says Henrik Friis.   
      
   Even after three months of food relief, one third of the children   
   continued to have low or marginal levels of B12 stored. The unfortunate   
   explanation is that there is a cap on how much B12 can be absorbed.   
      
   "A child's gut can only absorb 1 microgram of B12 per meal. So, if a   
   child is lacking 500 micrograms, it will take much longer than the few   
   weeks that they have access to emergency food relief," explains Vibeke   
   Brix Christensen, a pediatrician and medical advisor to Me'decins Sans   
   Frontie`res and co-author of the study.   
      
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   "Furthermore, longer-term relief programmes aren't realistic, as   
   humanitarian organizations are trying to reduce the duration of treatment   
   regimens with the aim of being able to serve a larger number of children   
   for the same amount of money," continues Vibeke Brix Christensen.   
      
   She points out that it might make a difference to divide the necessary   
   amount of vitamin B12 across several meals, which would probably allow   
   children to absorb the same amount of B12 each time. But the problem is   
   that if widespread B12 deficiency appears among children in low-income   
   countries, it is difficult to do anything about it.   
      
   New solutions needed on the table Preventing B12 deficiency would be   
   the best course of action. Unfortunately, lasting solutions have yet to   
   become readily available according to Professor Friis.   
      
   Because our bodies cannot produce B12 on their own, we need to   
   have it supplied to us through animal-based products or synthetic   
   supplements. However, in many low-income countries, access to animal-based   
   foods is incredibly difficult for the general population. One might   
   wonder, are tablets or fortified foodstuffs the way to prevention?   
   "Possibly, but the problem in low-income countries is poorly resourced and   
   weak health care systems. Handing out tablets to millions and millions   
   of people is not cost-effective. And to enrich foods with B12, it must   
   be added to foodstuffs that are accessible to the poor. This requires   
   industrial expansion, as many people currently eat only what they can   
   produce themselves.   
      
   Furthermore, it requires legislation that it is not based on voluntary   
   participation," says Henrik Friis, who has greater faith in other   
   types of solutions: "Individual households could be incentivized to   
   keep chickens and perhaps goats, which a mother could manage and use   
   to provide access to animal-based foodstuffs. Finally, work needs to   
   be done to develop fermented products with B12 producing bacteria --   
   something that doesn't yet exist, but towards which researchers and   
   companies are already working," concludes Henrik Friis.   
      
   The researchers are in dialogue with UNICEF's Supply Division, based in   
   Copenhagen, about how products to treat moderate to acute malnutrition   
   can be improved.   
      
   FACTS: VICIOUS CIRCLE   
       * B12 deficiency can be transmitted from mother to child. If a   
       mother is   
         B12 deficient, her child will be born B12 deficient as well,   
         before receiving breast milk with too little B12 in it. A child's   
         B12 deficiency can affect the formation and regeneration of their   
         intestinal cells.   
      
         Consequently, the child's capacity to absorb B12 and other vital   
         nutrients will be reduced. In this way, B12 deficiency contributes   
         to the development of malnutrition.   
      
   ABOUT ACUTE MALNUTRITION   
       * Since 2010, the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports   
       (NEXS) at   
         the University of Copenhagen has worked with the WHO and UNICEF,   
         among others, with a focus on improving the emergency food relief   
         used to combat childhood malnutrition.   
      
       * According to UNICEF, approximately 200 million children under the   
       age of   
         five suffer from malnutrition worldwide. Malnutrition contributes   
         to the death of three million children every year.   
      
       * Acute malnutrition in children is characterized by children who   
       are too   
         thin in proportion to their height. Globally, it is estimated   
         that approximately 50 million children are acutely malnourished,   
         with two thirds of these suffering from moderate malnutrition and   
         the remaining third suffering from severely acute malnutrition.   
      
       * Today, only about 20% of severely malnourished children receive   
       emergency   
         food relief.   
      
   ABOUT THE STUDY   
       * 1,609 children from Burkina Faso with moderate to acute malnutrition   
         participated in the study. The researchers were able to measure   
         cobalamin serum levels in 1,192 of these children.   
      
       * The children received three different types of food relief   
       rations, all   
         of which met with WHO standards.   
      
       * The study is a reanalysis of data collected in Burkina Faso   
       under the   
         research project TREATFOOD.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_Copenhagen_-_Faculty_of_Science. Note: Content may be   
   edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Henrik Friis, Bernardette Cichon, Christian Fabiansen, Ann-Sophie   
      Iuel-   
         Brockdorff, Charles W. Yame'ogo, Christian Ritz, Ruth   
         Frikke-Schmidt, Andre' Briend, Kim F. Michaelsen, Vibeke   
         B. Christensen, Suzanne Filteau, Mette F. Olsen. Serum cobalamin   
         in children with moderate acute malnutrition in Burkina Faso:   
         Secondary analysis of a randomized trial.   
      
         PLOS Medicine, 2022; 19 (3): e1003943 DOI:   
         10.1371/journal.pmed.1003943   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503141353.htm   
      
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