Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Inadequate vitamin B 12, folate status and B6 are associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases that may have a negative impact on the health. AIM: The aim of our study was to investigate dietary intake of vitamin B12, B6 and folates from various foods among the university students. METHODS: Dietary intake of foods having vitamins B12, B6 and folate was assessed among the students of University of Sarajevo, 19-22 years old, from 2017 to 2018. The participants were interviewed to collect information regarding age, socioeconomic status, B12, folate, B6 vitamin, and usual food intake during one week. RESULTS: The main sources of vitamin B12 and B6 in the students' diet were chicken white meat (51.8-53.7 %), beef (45-63 %), cream (62.2 -72.1 %), sardines in oil (47.9-52.2 %), tuna (55.2 -60.4 %), cheese edamer (80.1%) and cheese feta (67.4%-73%). The foods with a high source of vitamin B12 and B6 but rarely consumed were fish, shellfish, salmon, roasted trout and mackerel. Sufficient folate intake was mainly achieved through dietary intake of beans (48.5-57.2%) and oatmeal (46.3-48.2%), while folate-insufficient diet resulted from intake of spinach (30.9-35 %), turkey (26.2-33.4 %), lentils (16.9-19.7 %) and soy (9.4-15.5%). CONCLUSION: Our results show that there is an important percentage of the students in Canton Sarajevo that do not meet the recommended intakes for vitamin B12 and B6 and folate. Additional research is needed to establish the best cost-effective public health approach to achieve sufficient intake of these vitamins.