Functional thiamine status in cord blood of near-term gestational women in Northeast India: an erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient-based cross-sectional study

@article{mummadi2026functional,
  title = {{Functional thiamine status in cord blood of near-term gestational women in Northeast India: an erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient-based cross-sectional study}},
  author = {Mahesh Kumar Mummadi and Konga Ashok Kumar and Sreenu Pagidoju and Satish Motapalukula and Karthikeyan Ramanujam and Sudhakar Reddy Vadde and Rajender Rao Kalashikam and N. Samarasimha Reddy and Chandan Nalli},
  journal = {Human Nutrition \& Metabolism},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.hnm.2026.200391},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2026.200391},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Functional thiamine status in cord blood of near-term gestational women in Northeast India: an erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient-based cross-sectional study
AU  - Mahesh Kumar Mummadi
AU  - Konga Ashok Kumar
AU  - Sreenu Pagidoju
AU  - Satish Motapalukula
AU  - Karthikeyan Ramanujam
AU  - Sudhakar Reddy Vadde
AU  - Rajender Rao Kalashikam
AU  - N. Samarasimha Reddy
AU  - Chandan Nalli
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - Human Nutrition & Metabolism
DO  - 10.1016/j.hnm.2026.200391
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2026.200391
AB  - Background: Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency is an underappreciated nutritional problem in Northeast India. Maternal deficiency during pregnancy compromises the neonatal thiamine reserve, placing exclusively breastfed infants at risk of fatal infantile beriberi. The cord blood erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient (ETK-AC) at delivery provides a direct proxy of functional thiamine status at the maternal–fetal interface. Objectives: To determine functional thiamine status in near-term gestational women delivering at a referral hospital in Northeast India using cord blood ETK-AC, and to identify factors associated with deficiency. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2023 at Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital, Sribhumi (Karimganj), Assam. Thirty-two near-term pregnant women were enrolled. Cord blood was collected at delivery, and ETK-AC was categorised as sufficiency (≤1.15), moderate risk of deficiency (>1.15–≤1.25) or high risk of deficiency (>1.25). Results: Mean age was 27.3 ± 5.2 years and mean cord blood haemoglobin 16.0 ± 1.7 g/dL. Among the 32 participants, an elevated ETK-AC (>1.15), indicating at least a moderate risk of thiamine deficiency, was present in 28% (25% moderate risk, 3% high risk; mean ETK-AC 1.102 ± 0.102); no value reached the beriberi-associated threshold of 1.4. Deficiency appeared highest in women aged >35 years (67%) and in their second pregnancy (50%), and multivitamin/B-vitamin supplementation was associated with a lower prevalence (14% vs 39%); however, none of these subgroup comparisons reached statistical significance. Cord blood haemoglobin correlated inversely with ETK-AC (r = −0.375, p = 0.035). Conclusions: An elevated ETK-AC (>1.15) in 28% of participants at delivery — including 3% at high risk (>1.25) and none in the beriberi-associated range — identifies a subset of near-term mothers whose breastfed neonates face potential risk of infantile beriberi. Prenatal thiamine supplementation and targeted dietary counselling are urgently warranted in Northeast India.
SN  - 2666-1497
ER  -