Impact of Prevalent Dietary Pattern on Serum Vitamin B12 Status and Its Association With Inflammation Among Reproductive Age Women

Scope Association between vitamin B12 deficiency (VB12D) and dietary patterns being well documented has bearing on obstetrics and neonatal outcomes. However, relationship between VB12D and serum inflammatory markers (IMs), particularly in vegetarian diet and Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), remains elusive. This cross‐sectional study assesses VB12D and IMs among reproductive age women consuming different diets. Methods and results Nonvegetarian (PCOS, n = 104; healthy, n = 148) and vegetarian women (PCOS n = 112; healthy, n = 186) are for evaluated clinical, biochemical, hormonal assessment, inflammatory, and four vitamin B 12 (VB12) markers. VB12D is defined by Fedosov's wellness quotient (4cB12). Using 4cB12, prevalence of VB12D is discerned in 54.4% (PCOS: 72.1%; healthy 36.5%) and 93.4% (PCOS: 95.9%; healthy: 91.9%) among nonvegetarians and vegetarians, respectively. Vegetarian PCOS women depict lowest median (interquartile range [IQR]) of serum B12 76.2(72.6) pg mL−1, holotranscobalamine (HTC) 37.9(11.3) and highest homocysteine (HCY) 40.32(6.0) µmol L−1, methylmalonic acid (MMA) 352.26(156.7) nmol L−1 with highest Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA‐IR) and IMs (Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP‐1), High sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF‐α) and Interleukin 6 (IL‐6)). Significant correlation of serum hs‐CRP, TNF‐α, and IL‐6 with VB12 markers is observed. Conclusion The VB12D is rampant among reproductive age women that gets exacerbated by PCOS or vegetarian diet. It is directly correlated with magnitude of proinflammatory markers. The results carry substantial implications for public health policies aimed at improving preconception maternal VB12 status for better future pregnancy and offspring outcomes. Vitamin B12 Deficiency is rampant among reproductive age women. Vitamin B12 deficiency is affected by pattern of diet intake and is worse among women who follow vegetarian dietary pattern in contrast to non‐vegetarians. Further vitamin B12 deficiency seems to be exacerbated among women with PCOS. In, vegetarian women with PCOS, vitamin B12 was lowest and the highest levels of certain markers were found indicating inflammation and insulin resistance. This highlights the importance of paying attention to women's vitamin B12 levels before pregnancy to ensure better health for both mothers and babies.