B COMPLEX

Scientific studies claim that folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency are important public health problems in India (2,4). In a community-based study, adolescent rural Indian women with asymptomatic vitamin B-12 deficiency, it was demonstrated improvement in haematological and biochemical-metabolic indices, and in peripheral nerve function, after treatment with oral vitamin B-12 (3).  

References

1. Tardy, A.-L., Pouteau, E., Marquez, D., Yilmaz, C., Scholey, A., 2020. Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010228 

2. Micronutrient status of Indian population. Gonmei, Z., Toteja, G.S., 2018. Micronutrient status of Indian population. Indian J. Med. Res. 148, 511–521. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1768_18

3. Yajnik, C.S., Behere, R.V., Bhat, D.S., Memane, N., Raut, D., Ladkat, R., Yajnik, P.C., Kumaran, K., Fall, C.H.D., 2019. A physiological dose of oral vitamin B-12 improves hematological, biochemical-metabolic indices and peripheral nerve function in B-12 deficient Indian adolescent women. PLoS ONE 14, e0223000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223000

4.  Vitamin B12 Deficiency | National Health Portal of India. Available from: http://www.nutrition-atlas.nin.res.in/nutritionatlas/vitb12.php

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Biotin supplementation may be crucial in hair growth. Studies show that deficiencies in biotin, Zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 are associated with male androgenetic alopecia (2) and premature canities (1) in Asians. Scientific opinion published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes that a strong correlation exists between the biotin supplementation and healthy hair (3). 

References

1. Daulatabad, D., Singal, A., Grover, C., Chhillar, N., 2017. Prospective Analytical Controlled Study Evaluating Serum Biotin, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid in Patients with Premature Canities. Int J Trichology 9, 19–24. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijt.ijt_79_16 

2. El-Esawy, F.M., Hussein, M.S., Ibrahim Mansour, A., 2019. Serum biotin and zinc in male androgenetic alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12865
3. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to biotin and energy-yielding metabolism (ID 114,117), macronutrient metabolism (ID 113, 114, 117), maintenance of skin and mucous membranes (ID 115), maintenance of hair (ID 118, 2876) and function of the nervous system (ID 116) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), EFSA Journal, 2009.

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Metabolic vitamin B12 deficiency is highly prevalent among Indian population as about 20% of them are vegetarians (1). Vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products and not in plant or grain based products and hence its deficiency.

References

1. Gonmei, Z., Toteja, G.S., 2018. Micronutrient status of Indian population. Indian J. Med. Res. 148, 511–521. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1768_18
2. Woo, K.S., Kwok, T.C.Y., Celermajer, D.S., 2014. Vegan diet, subnormal vitamin B-12 status and cardiovascular health. Nutrients 6, 3259–3273. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6083259
3. Hallert, C., Svensson, M., Tholstrup, J., Hultberg, B., 2009. Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 29, 811–816. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.03945.x

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