Comparison of Serum Levels of Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid in Healthy Individuals and Type II Diabetic Patients Taking Metformin

Numerous studies have demonstrated different serum changes in vitamin B12 and folic acid levels in patients taking metformin. The present study aimed to make a comparison between patients with type II diabetes (T2DM) taking metformin and healthy individuals in terms of serum levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid.

In this cross-sectional observational study, 40 patients with T2DM and 40 healthy subjects were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. After recording individual characteristics and taking fasting blood, glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and Low-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were measured using commercial kits employing spectrophotometric methods. Moreover,  folic acid and vitamin B12 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The results indicated that the mean scores of folic acid levels in T2DM patients and healthy subjects were obtained at 3.4±1.69 (ng/ml) and 9.1±4.78 (ng/ml), respectively. Moreover, the mean scores of vitamin B12 level were 176.05± 34.56 and 227.20± 56.84 (pg/ml) in T2DM patients and healthy subjects, respectively (P=0.0001). Except for the cholesterol level, the mean values of fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were significantly different between the two groups. With regard to the risk of a high level of biochemical indicators compared to standard, these indicators showed more increase in the patient group than healthy subjects.

As evidenced by the obtained results, there was a reduction in the vitamin B12 and folic acid levels significant changes in biochemical indicators in patients with T2DM, as compared to healthy subjects. This process can be dangerous in terms of complications and disease progression; therefore, it is recommended to prescribe the abovementioned vitamin supplements for these patients.