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Vitamin B12 as a potential compliance marker for fish intake

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the following four markers: vitamin B12, selenium, vitamin D, and parvalbumin may be used as compliance markers for fish intake.

Methods

Blood samples from a randomized cross-over herring intervention study (n = 32) were analysed by HPLC and immunochemistry. The criteria were that plasma or serum concentrations of candidate compliance markers after the herring diet should increase significantly compared to starting concentrations. In addition, the reference meat diet should not yield an increase in plasma concentration of the candidate marker.

Results

Vitamin B12 and selenium met the set criteria for indicating a correlation between the marker and fish intake with significant increases in serum concentrations at 8.9 % (p = 0.008) and 4.6 % (p = 0.02), respectively, after a 6-week herring intervention (5 meals a week). Parvalbumin and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 levels did not increase significantly after the herring interventions.

Conclusions

Vitamin B12 may be suitable as a compliance marker for fish intake. Although selenium also met the criteria, the change in selenium serum concentrations was small compared to the change in vitamin B12 levels.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was funded by the Region of Västra Götaland (RUN612-0026-08 and RUN612-1102-08) and the Swedish Board of Agriculture (031-0267-08, European Fisheries Fund, Investing in sustainable fisheries). On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. The human intervention study was approved by the Ethical review board, Gothenburg. The study have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Food Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96, Göteborg, Sweden

    Nathalie Scheers, Ingrid Undeland & Ann-Sofie Sandberg

  2. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 459, 405 30, Göteborg, Sweden

    Helen Lindqvist

  3. AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden

    Anna Maria Langkilde

Authors
  1. Nathalie Scheers
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  2. Helen Lindqvist
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  3. Anna Maria Langkilde
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  4. Ingrid Undeland
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  5. Ann-Sofie Sandberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathalie Scheers.

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Scheers, N., Lindqvist, H., Langkilde, A.M. et al. Vitamin B12 as a potential compliance marker for fish intake. Eur J Nutr 53, 1327–1333 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0632-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0632-5

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