VITAMINS

The concentrations of 5 water-soluble vitamins were determined in the mature milk of healthy Japanese women in this study. The average concentrations of these vitamins were 0.28±0.14ng/ml (0.21±0.11pmol/ml) for vitamin B_<12>, 34.6±9.9ng/ml (78.5±22.3pmol/ml) for total folate, and 3.40±0.68ng/ml (13.9±2.8pmol/ml) for total biotin in 25 milks, and 1.55±0.56μg/ml (12.7±4.6nmol/ml) for total niacin, 6.92±2.83μg/ml (31.5±13.0nmol/ml) for total pantothenic acid in 15 milk specimens, which are not sufficient levels. The free form of vitamins comprised 25.6±8.2%, 17.9±7.5%, 69.4±16.9% of total biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid, respectively. When the intakes of these vitamins by infants were estimated based on the concentration of each vitamin and the amount of breast milk intake by infants, daily intakes of folate, biotin and pantothenic acid in infants aged 0 through 5 months were lower than the respective levels of adequate intake recommended as Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, 2005. The present findings are important for establishing future Dietary Reference Intakes for these vitamins.

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The association of total blood homocysteine concentration with the risk of atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and cognitive dysfunction has been speculated because patients with homocysteinuria, a hereditary metabolic disease with very high levels of blood homocysteine, develop vascular complications, skeletal abnormality, and mental retardation. Abundant epidemiologic evidence has confirmed that moderate elevation in blood homocysteine, commonly seen in the general elderly population, is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular diseases including coronary, cerebrovascular, peripheral arterial disease, and deep vein thrombosis. Furthermore, in recent years, evidence is increasing that levels of homocysteine are associated with the occurrence of osteoporosis and cognitive impairment. Because administration of B vitamin supplements is a simple and safe means to lower blood homocysteine concentration, the supplementation should be considered if the causal relation between elevated plasma homocysteine concentration and these disorders is once established. Evidence indicates that elevated levels of homocysteine might be a modifiable risk factor among Japanese as well, especially elderly population. In this paper, current knowledge on the relation between levels of homocysteine, related vitamin B deficiencies, and neurocognitive dysfunction is reviewed.

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