Alarming levels of inadequate intake of B group vitamins in tribal lactating women from South India.

Background: Micronutrients are necessary for proper growth and development of the human body, though required in small amounts. Dietary intake of these micronutrients by lactating women is essential for their own health as well as children's overall growth and development. objective of present study is to assess the adequacy of dietary B-group vitamins intake during lactation and to find out the factors associated with their inadequate intake.

Design and methods: It was a analysis of data from prospective cohort study for 10 months carried out among 340 Scheduled Tribes mothers in 10 clusters in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Data collection was done using a 24 h dietary recall questionnaire. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: All the mothers (n = 340) were not having adequate intake of Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Pantothenic acid, Biotin and Folic acid. Methyl cobalamin intake was inadequate in 37.5% mothers (n = 136). The mean intake of Vitamin B12 was 40.98 + 42.8 (SD) µg/day. Age at marriage, location and parity were significantly associated with inadequate intake of Vitamin B12.

Conclusions: The current diet pattern of mothers of vulnerable groups might affect the growth and development of the infant. We strongly recommend for supplementation of B-group vitamins to pregnant and lactating women in India.