[Radiological investigations of cobalamin supply with regard to folate status (author's transl)]

In a study with 307 volunteers we estimated the cobalamin status by radiochemical (plasma cobalamin) and haematological (lobe average of granulocytes) methods. As there is a close biochemical connection between the folate and cobalamin metabolism (methyl-tetrahydrofolate-trap hypothesis) we additionally determined the plasma- and erythrocyte folate levels in 307 volunteers by radioimmunoassay. Further metabolic studies in humans showed that a cobalamin concentration of less than 160 pg/ml indicates a deficient supply. In the present study 6% of the men and 8% of the women showed an inadequate alimentary supply.