{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T08:52:47Z","timestamp":1787647967711,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]],"date-time":"2023-05-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1684368000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism","award":["002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vitamin B12 (B12) is necessary for the proper functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although there is no exact definition for B12 levels, a value of 200 pg\/mL is compatible with deficiency, 200\u2013299 pg\/mL is considered borderline, and 300 pg\/mL is considered normal. In population studies, the prevalence of B12 deficiency ranges between 2.9% and 35%. Furthermore, many medications, such as metformin [for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)], can cause B12 deficiency. The objectives of this study were to determine the population status of B12 in southwestern Colombia (and the status of B12 in subjects with T2DM). In the total population (participants with and without T2DM), the prevalence of B12 deficiency was 17.8%; that of borderline was 19.3%; and that of normal levels was 62.9%. The prevalence of deficiency increased with age and was significantly higher in those aged \u226560 years (p = 0.000). In T2DM subjects, the prevalence of deficiency was significantly higher concerning those without T2DM (p = 0.002) and was significantly higher in those who received &gt;1 gm\/day of metformin (p = 0.001). Thus, the prevalence of deficiency and borderline levels of B12 in our population was high, particularly in those &gt;60 years of age. B12 deficiency was significantly higher in individuals with T2DM than in individuals without T2DM, especially among those receiving high doses of metformin.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15102357","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]],"date-time":"2023-05-18T06:32:58Z","timestamp":1684391578000},"page":"2357","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Population Status of Vitamin B12 Values in the General Population and in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, in Southwestern Colombia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hernando","family":"Vargas-Uricoechea","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Metabolic Diseases Study Group, Department of Internal Medicine, Universidad del Cauca, Popayan 190003, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8764-4700","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Patricio","family":"Nogueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n en Endocrinolog\u00eda, Nutrici\u00f3n y Metabolismo (CIENM), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa 3600, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda V.","family":"Pinz\u00f3n-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Research Group, Department of Internal Medicine, Universidad del Cauca, Popayan 190003, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5391-9665","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valentina","family":"Agredo-Delgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fellowship in Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hernando David","family":"Vargas-Sierra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Metabolic Diseases Study Group, Department of Internal Medicine, Universidad del Cauca, Popayan 190003, Colombia"},{"name":"Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellin 050031, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"405","DOI":"10.1016\/bs.vh.2022.02.003","article-title":"Vitamin B12 deficiency","volume":"119","author":"Green","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vitam. Horm."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2061","DOI":"10.1093\/advances\/nmac030","article-title":"Vitamin B-12","volume":"13","author":"Smith","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adv. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"E843","DOI":"10.1503\/cmaj.220306","article-title":"Vitamin B12 deficiency","volume":"194","author":"Silverstein","year":"2022","journal-title":"CMAJ"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Ervin, R.W., Wang, C.Y., and Kennedy-Stephenson, J. (2004). Dietary Intake of Selected Vitamins for the United States Population: 1999\u20132000, National Center for Health Statistics: Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes and its Panel on Folate, Other B Vitamins, and Choline (1998). Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, National Academies Press (US)."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Institute of Medicine (2000). Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, National Acedemies Press."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2018.00055","article-title":"Micronutrient Intakes of British Adults Across Mid-Life: A Secondary Analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey","volume":"5","author":"Derbyshire","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products NaA (2015). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for Cobalamin (Vitamin B12), EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products NaA.","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2014.3893"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"348S","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.111.013441","article-title":"Biomarkers of cobalamin (vitamin B-12) status in the epidemiologic setting: A critical overview of context, applications, and performance characteristics of cobalamin, methylmalonic acid, and holotranscobalamin II","volume":"94","author":"Carmel","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S238","DOI":"10.1177\/15648265080292S129","article-title":"Conclusions of a WHO technical consultation on folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies","volume":"29","year":"2008","journal-title":"Food Nutr Bull."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2022, June 12). Available online: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nutritionreport\/pdf\/Nutrition_Book_complete508_final.pdf."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S38","DOI":"10.1177\/15648265080292S107","article-title":"Review of the Magnitude of Folate and Vitamin B12 Deficiencies Worldwide","volume":"29","author":"McLean","year":"2008","journal-title":"Food Nutr. Bull."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S109","DOI":"10.1177\/0379572115585772","article-title":"Folate and Vitamin B12 Status in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Update","volume":"36","author":"Brito","year":"2015","journal-title":"Food Nutr Bull."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"965","DOI":"10.3346\/jkms.2014.29.7.965","article-title":"Association of Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Metformin Use in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes","volume":"29","author":"Ko","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Korean Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"399","DOI":"10.1080\/10408363.2021.1885339","article-title":"Vitamin B12 status in health and disease: A critical review. Diagnosis of deficiency and insufficiency\u2014Clinical and laboratory pitfalls","volume":"58","author":"Delvin","year":"2021","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Clin. Lab. Sci."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2018, February 01). Available online: https:\/\/www.dane.gov.co\/index.php\/estadisticas-por-tema\/demografia-ypoblacion\/proyecciones-de-poblacion."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"322S","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.111.013300","article-title":"Folate and vitamin B-12 biomarkers in NHANES: History of their measurement and use","volume":"94","author":"Yetley","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Song, W.O., Beecher, G.R., and Eitenmiller, R.R. (2000). Modern Analytical Methodologies in Fat- and Water-Soluble Vitamins, John Wiley & Sons, Inc."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"5","article-title":"The metabolic processes of folic acid and Vitamin B12 deficiency","volume":"1","author":"Mahmood","year":"2014","journal-title":"Neurol. India"},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Ankar, A., and Kumar, A. (2022). StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Ministerio de la Protecci\u00f3n Social (COL), Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familia, and Instituto Nacional de Salud (2018, February 01). Encuesta Nacional de la Situaci\u00f3n Nutricional en Colombia; ENSIN 2015; Bogot\u00e1: 2015, Available online: https:\/\/www.minsalud.gov.co\/sites\/rid\/Lists\/BibliotecaDigital\/RIDE\/VS\/ED\/GCFI\/ensin-colombia-2018.pdf."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.17151\/hpsal.2021.26.1.9","article-title":"Inequalities in food consumption the Colombian households: Results from the National Survey of Nutritional Status","volume":"26","author":"Zapata","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hacia Promoci\u00f3n Salud"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1007\/s10552-012-0117-5","article-title":"Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in six Latin American countries (SWOG Trial S0701)","volume":"24","author":"Porras","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cancer Causes Control."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"124","DOI":"10.25100\/cm.v34i.3.263","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori: Patolog\u00eda y prevalencia en biopsias g\u00e1stricas en Colombia","volume":"34","author":"Bravo","year":"2003","journal-title":"Colomb. M\u00e9dica"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-pathol-032520-024949","article-title":"The Spectrum of Helicobacter-Mediated Diseases","volume":"16","author":"Robinson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Pathol. Mech. Dis."},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"ELT10","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori and vitamin B12 deficiency","volume":"91","author":"Kaptan","year":"2006","journal-title":"Haematologica"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"744","DOI":"10.1016\/0016-5085(92)90148-R","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori gastric atrophy and pernicious anemia","volume":"102","author":"DeLuca","year":"1992","journal-title":"Gastroenterology"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1080\/07315724.2002.10719202","article-title":"Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid in Children with Intestinal Parasitic Infection","volume":"21","author":"Olivares","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Am. Coll. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-020-04073-7","article-title":"Impact of intestinal parasites on microbiota and cobalamin gene sequences: A pilot study","volume":"13","author":"Mejia","year":"2020","journal-title":"Parasites Vectors"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.33132\/01248146.1558","article-title":"Prevalencia de parasitismo intestinal y sus factores asociados en publicaciones indexadas de Colombia: Revisi\u00f3n sistem\u00e1tica 2000\u20132017","volume":"21","author":"Baena","year":"2019","journal-title":"Rev. Investig. Andin."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liu, Q., Li, S., Quan, H., and Li, J. (2014). Vitamin B12 Status in Metformin Treated Patients: Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 9.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0100379"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"316","DOI":"10.1016\/j.diabet.2016.03.008","article-title":"Association between metformin and vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"42","author":"Chapman","year":"2016","journal-title":"Diabetes Metab."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1007\/s11739-014-1157-5","article-title":"The role of metformin on vitamin B12 deficiency: A meta-analysis review","volume":"10","author":"Niafar","year":"2015","journal-title":"Intern. Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"916","DOI":"10.4239\/wjd.v12.i7.916","article-title":"Long-term metformin therapy and vitamin B12 deficiency: An association to bear in mind","volume":"12","author":"Infante","year":"2021","journal-title":"World, J. Diabetes"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1227","DOI":"10.2337\/diacare.23.9.1227","article-title":"Increased intake of calcium reverses vitamin B12 malabsorption induced by metformin","volume":"23","author":"Bauman","year":"2000","journal-title":"Diabetes Care"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2251","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.162.19.2251-a","article-title":"Metformin-associated vitamin B12 deficiency","volume":"162","author":"Noel","year":"2002","journal-title":"Arch. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00275941","article-title":"Malabsorption of vitamin B12 and intrinsic factor secretion during biguanide therapy","volume":"24","author":"Adams","year":"1983","journal-title":"Diabetologia"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.3389\/fmolb.2016.00027","article-title":"Biomarkers and Algorithms for the Diagnosis of Vitamin B12 Deficiency","volume":"3","author":"Hannibal","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front. Mol. Biosci."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alhaji, J.H. (2022). Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Patients with Diabetes on Metformin: Arab Countries. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14102046"}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/15\/10\/2357\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T19:37:19Z","timestamp":1760125039000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/15\/10\/2357"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5]]}},"alternative-id":["nu15102357"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu15102357","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]]}}}