Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12: Certain nutrients help prevent metabolic syndrome

Individuals with adequate levels of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 appear to be at lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS), a study has found.

The study included 4,414 young adults in the US (mean age 24.9 years, 52.8 percent female, 50.4 percent Black). Their diet was assessed at examination years 0, 7, and 20. In a subset of 1,430 participants, serum concentrations of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 were measured at examination years 0, 7, and 15.

The primary endpoint of MetS was ascertained using clinic and laboratory measurements and self-reported medication use. Researchers applied multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate the associations of energy-adjusted B vitamin intakes or serum B vitamin levels with incident MetS.

Over a mean follow-up of 22.1 years, a total of 1,240 participants developed MetS cases. Participants with high vs low serum levels of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 had a lower risk of MetS. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for MetS associated with the highest vs lowest quintile of intake of each nutrient were 0.39 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.31–0.49) for folate (p<0.001 for trend), 0.61 (95 percent CI, 0.46–0.81) for vitamin B6 (p=0.002 for trend), and 0.74 (95 percent CI, 0.58–0.95) for vitamin B12 (p=0.008 for trend).

A similar pattern of associations was seen in the subset of participants with serum B vitamin data (folate: HR, 0.23, 95 percent CI, 0.17–0.33; p<0.001 for trend; vitamin B6: HR, 0.48, 95 percent CI, 0.34–0.67; p<0.001 for trend; vitamin B12: HR, 0.70, 95 percent CI, 0.51–0.96; p=0.01 for trend).