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Neuroscience/Nutrition and the Brain (Poster Session)

(P25-008-24) Associations Between Selected Micronutrient Deficiencies and Cognitive Function and Symptoms of Depression Among Non-pregnant Women of Reproductive Age in Punjab, India

Monday, July 1, 2024
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 462

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Gurjinder K. Brar, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Project Coordinator
    Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, Chandigarh, India

    • Co-Author(s)

  • CM

    Christine M. McDonald

    University of California, San Francisco, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics; International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group

  • RD

    Reena Das, MD

    Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Department of Hematology
    Chandigarh, Haryana, India

  • YG

    Yvonne E. Goh

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    University of California, San Francisco
    Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana

  • MJ

    Manu Jamwal, PhD

    Research Associate
    PGIMER
    Chandigarh , India

  • BS

    Bidhi Singh

    Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research

  • RS

    Rajni Sharma

    Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India

  • MM

    Mari S. Manger

    University of California, San Francisco, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics; International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group

  • Julie M. Long, MS, MPH, RDN

    Research Services Senior Clinical Science Professional
    University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Aurora, Colorado, United States

  • JW

    Jamie E. Westcott, MS

    University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
    Aurora, Colorado, United States

  • Nancy F. Krebs, MD, MS (she/her/hers)

    Professor of Pediatrics, Head, Section of Nutrition
    University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
    Aurora, Colorado, United States

  • Rosalind S. Gibson, MSPH (Nutrition), PhD (Nutrition)

    Emerita Professor. Department of Human Nutrition,
    University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
    Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

  • CA

    Charles D. Arnold, MS

    Statistician
    University of California, Davis
    Davis, California, United States

  • KB

    Kenneth Brown, MD

    University of California Davis
    Davis, California, United States

  • Mona Duggal, MD, MHS

    assistant professor
    Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Department of Ophthalmology
    Chandigarh, Haryana, India

Disclosure(s):
Gurjinder K. Brar, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Manu Jamwal, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency may play a role in cognitive impairment and depression. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between vitamin B12, folate, homocysteine and iron status with cognition and symptoms of depression among non-pregnant women of reproductive age (NPWRA) in Punjab, India.

Methods: The study utilized baseline data from a trial of multiply-fortified salt involving 798 NPWRA in Mohali district, Punjab, India. Venous blood was used for the measurement of serum folate by microbiologic assay, serum vitamin B12 and ferritin by chemiluminescence, and plasma total homocysteine by ADVIA Centaur XP. The Hindi Mini Mental State examination was used to assess cognition and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between deficiencies in vitamin B12 (B12 deficiency < 150 pmol/L) and folate (serum folate < 7 nmol/L), homocysteine (homocysteine >15 μmol/l) iron deficiency (inflammation-adjusted ferritin < 15 μg/L), and the primary outcomes of depressive symptoms (score ≥ 10) and cognitive impairment (score ≤ 23).

Results: Mean age was 30.8 ± 5.6 years and 67.5% of NPWRAs had middle school education or higher. At baseline, 37.5% had B12 deficiency, 7.1% had serum folate deficiency, 57.5% had hyperhomocysteinemia and 62.7% had iron deficiency. Depressive symptoms and moderate to severe cognitive impairment were present in 2.3% and 12% of NPWRA respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that vitamin B12 deficiency was associated with more than one-fold increased risk for cognitive impairment (OR= 1.48, 95% CI [1.10, 1.97]). Participants with low serum folate levels were 3.9 times more likely to experience depressive symptoms (OR= 3.91, 95% CI [1.24, 12.32]) than those with normal levels. The results of multivariate analysis are forthcoming.

Conclusions: Low vitamin B12 and folate status may increase the risk of cognitive impairment and depression in women of reproductive age. Additional research is needed to examine the potential protective effects of micronutrient interventions including vitamin B12 and folic acid on cognition and depression in NPWRA in India.

Funding Sources: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV 002945)