The Status of B Vitamin in Saudi Adults: A Review

Abstract

Background and Objective: B vitamins are essential for maintaining several body functions. Assessing micronutrient status in a population is crucial for evaluating the individual or the population’s levels of nutrient sufficiency, deficiency, or toxicity; examining the relationship between a nutrient’s status and adverse health outcomes; and determining nutrient needs to establish reference values. There is lack of periodical national surveys in Saudi Arabia that assess the status of the B vitamins. Therefore, this review summarizes and critique the literature of B vitamin status in Saudi adults age of ≥18 years. Methods and Study Design: Databases (PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar) were searched for articles published between January 1980 to December 2022 using combinations of the terms “Saudi Arabia”, “status”, “level” along with all the corresponding vitamin B keywords and metabolites. Results: Forty three studies were obtained. Only 28 studies were included to the current review. Several studies conducted in Saudi adults measured folate and vitamin B12 status. Fewer studies assessed thiamine, riboflavin, and pyridoxine status. No relevant studies were found on the status of niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin. Studies on thiamin status have not reported rates of deficiency except for one study reporting a prevalence of 3%. Conflicting findings were observed for riboflavin status, but the most recent evidence suggests a prevalence of 36.9% deficiency among Saudi adults. Folate deficiency appears to be low, whereas vitamin B12 might be of concern among Saudi adults. Conclusions: There were discrepancies in the results of some vitamin status in Saudi adults mainly attributed to differences in biomarkers used, methodologies, regional differences, and/or age group/population.