Evidence mapPaperPMID 40264186Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2025

Maternal B12 deficiency during pregnancy dysregulates fatty acid metabolism and induces inflammation in human adipose tissue.

Jinous Samavat, Joseph Boachie, Philip G McTernan, Mark Christian, Ponnusamy Saravanan, Antonysunil Adaikalakoteswari

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Effect of Maternal Vitamin BCurrent nutrition reports · 2025
    Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jinous Samavat *Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK.
Joseph Boachie *Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK.
Philip G McTernanDepartment of Biosciences, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8 NS, UK.
Mark ChristianDivision of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK.
Ponnusamy SaravananDivision of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK.
Antonysunil AdaikalakoteswariDivision of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK. adaikala.antonysunil@ntu.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdipose tissue (AT) responds to excess calorie intake; however, the deficit in micronutrients accompanied by the modern lifestyle is often overlooked. Micronutrient deficiency in pregnancy, particularly vitamin B12 (B12), is commonly associated with higher adiposity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies have demonstrated that dyslipidemia can trigger pro-inflammatory status. However, the release of the pro-inflammatory factors in a tissue-specific micronutrient deficient environment is unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the role of B12 deficiency on lipid metabolism and inflammatory mediators in both in vitro and ex vivo models including human pre-adipocytes, primary adipocytes, mature human white AT (WAT), and its association with metabolic risk.

methodsPaired abdominal subcutaneous and omental WAT (ScWAT and OmWAT) were chosen based on serum B12 (< 150 pM) from 115 Caucasian pregnant women. Human primary Sc adipocytes from women with different BMI (lean, overweight, obese, morbidly obese) and pre-adipocyte cell line (Chub-S7) were differentiated in various concentrations of B12. Serum B12, folate, lipids, cytokines, biochemical parameters, gene expression, intracellular triglyceride (TG), and mitochondrial function were assessed.

resultsIn pregnant women with low B12 levels, BMI and serum TG were significantly higher, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was lower (p < 0.05). B12 deficiency in both depots of AT correlated with higher expression of genes in fatty acid (FA) synthesis, elongation, desaturation, TG synthesis, and reduced fatty acid oxidation (FAO) (p < 0.05). In vitro adipocytes with low B12 demonstrated that TG synthesis utilizing radiolabeled FA was higher and mitochondrial function was impaired. We also found that the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in AT was increased, and circulatory cytokines inversely associated with serum B12 (p < 0.05).

conclusionsOur novel data highlights that B12 deficiency dysregulates lipids and induces inflammation in AT and circulation, which could contribute to adipocyte dysfunction exacerbating cardiometabolic risk during pregnancy.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueFatty AcidsInflammationPregnancy ComplicationsVitamin B 12 DeficiencyAdipocytesAdultFemaleHumansLipid MetabolismPregnancyVitamin B 12Fatty AcidsVitamin B 12Adipose tissueLipid metabolismLow-grade inflammationObesityPregnancyVitamin B12

Identifiers

PMID40264186
PMCPMC12016209

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.