Plasma B Vitamers: Population Epidemiology and Parent-Child Concordance in Children and Adults.

Abstract

<h4>Scope</h4>B vitamers are co-enzymes involved in key physiological processes including energy production, one-carbon, and macronutrient metabolism. Studies profiling B vitamers simultaneously in parent-child dyads are scarce. Profiling B vitamers in parent-child dyads enables an insightful determination of gene-environment contributions to their circulating concentrations. We aimed to characterise: (a) parent-child dyad concordance, (b) generation (children versus adults), (c) age (within the adult subgroup (age range 28-71 years)) and (d) sex differences in plasma B vitamer concentrations in the CheckPoint study of Australian children.<h4>Methods and results</h4>1166 children (11 ± 0.5 years, 51% female) and 1324 parents (44 ± 5.1 years, 87% female) took part in a biomedical assessment of a population-derived longitudinal cohort study: The Growing Up in Australia's Child Health CheckPoint. B vitamer levels were quantified by UHPLC/MS-MS. B vitamer levels were weakly concordant between parent-child pairs (10-31% of variability explained). All B vitamer concentrations exhibited generation-specificity, except for flavin mononucleotide (FMN). The levels of thiamine, pantothenic acid, and 4-pyridoxic acid were higher in male children, and those of pantothenic acid were higher in male adults compared to their female counterparts.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Family, age, and sex contribute to variations in the concentrations of plasma B vitamers in Australian children and adults.