Older adults are recommended to meet their daily vitamin B12 (B12) requirements by consuming foods with added B12 and/or taking B12 supplements (i.e. sources of free B12) because of an age-related decreased digestion and absorption capacity for food-bound B12. Currently, B12 is not added to foods in Canada, except for simulated dairy and meat products. Yoghurt with added B12 is a novel dairy product that could fill a gap that presently exists in the Canadian market and has the potential to provide Canadian older adults with an alternative dietary source of B12 that could help improve their B12 status. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the daily consumption of one serving of yoghurt fortified with B12 versus unfortified yoghurt for 8 weeks on the B12 status of healthy older adults, assessed using serum total B12. The primary hypothesis of this study was that the daily consumption of B12-fortified yoghurt would increase serum total B12 concentration of older adults compared to the consumption of unfortified yoghurts.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
80
Food-grade vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin (purity: 99%) was used for fortification. Yoghurts were Greek-style and locally produced by a yoghurt company in British Columbia, Canada. The pre-measured vitamin B12 was added into yoghurt vats in amounts that corresponded to the chosen dosage (50 µg of B12 per 150 g). The yoghurt was packaged into white cups, each containing 150 grams of yoghurt, labelled with the date of production and study code.
Yoghurts were locally produced by a yoghurt company in British Columbia, Canada. Yoghurts produced were Greek-style and packaged into white cups, each containing 150 grams of yoghurt, labelled with the date of production and study code.
BCCHR Clinical Research and Evaluation Unit (CREU)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
UBC Western Nutrition Research Center (WNRC)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Serum total B12 concentration
Direct biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 8 weeks of intervention
Serum total B12 concentration
Direct biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 4 weeks of intervention
Serum holotranscobalamin (holoTC) concentration
Direct biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 8 weeks
Serum holotranscobalamin (holoTC) concentration
Direct biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 4 weeks
Plasma methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentration
Functional biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 8 weeks
Plasma methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentration
Functional biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 4 weeks
Plasma homocysteine concentration
Functional biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 8 weeks
Plasma homocysteine concentration
Functional biomarker of vitamin B12 status
Time frame: Change after 4 weeks
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