Kazakhstan: a folate-deficient area?

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Public Health
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Central Asian diets, particularly in Kazakhstan, are traditionally meat-rich with low vegetable consumption.
• This dietary pattern may predispose populations to folate deficiency.
• Folate deficiency is a known risk factor for abnormal homocysteine metabolism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the folate status in a healthy Kazakh population.
• To compare folate and homocysteine levels between Kazakh and Japanese adults.
• To investigate the potential link between diet and these biochemical markers.

Main Methods:

• Serum folate and plasma homocysteine levels were measured.
• 50 healthy Kazakh adults (KZH) and 60 healthy Japanese adults (JPN) participated.
• A comparative analysis was performed between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Kazakh adults exhibited significantly lower serum folate levels (3.1 ng/ml) compared to Japanese adults (10.0 ng/ml).
• 82% of Kazakh subjects had low folate concentrations (<3.6 ng/ml), unlike any Japanese subjects.
• Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly higher in Kazakh adults (13.2 nmol/ml) than in Japanese adults (7.8 nmol/ml).

Conclusions:

• Folate deficiency is prevalent in Kazakhstan, strongly associated with insufficient vegetable intake.
• Elevated homocysteine levels (hyperhomocysteinemia) were observed in the Kazakh group, likely a consequence of folate deficiency.
• These findings highlight a significant public health concern regarding nutritional status in Kazakhstan.