Folate Status as a Nutritional Indicator among People with Substance Use Disorder; A Prospective Cohort Study in Norway

Mitra Bemanian, Jørn Henrik Vold, Ranadip Chowdhury, Christer Frode Aas, Rolf Gjestad, Kjell Arne Johansson and Lars Thore Fadnes
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Mitra Bemanian: Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5012 Bergen, Norway
Jørn Henrik Vold: Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5012 Bergen, Norway
Ranadip Chowdhury: Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi 110016, India
Christer Frode Aas: Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5012 Bergen, Norway
Rolf Gjestad: Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, 5036 Bergen, Norway
Kjell Arne Johansson: Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5012 Bergen, Norway
Lars Thore Fadnes: Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5012 Bergen, Norway

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: Substance use disorder (SUD) is associated with poor nutrition. Vitamin B9, or folate, is an important micronutrient for health. The aim of this prospective longitudinal cohort study was to assess serum folate levels among people with SUD and to investigate the impact of factors related to substance use severity on folate status. Participants were recruited from outpatient clinics for opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and municipal health-care clinics for SUD in Western Norway. They were assessed annually, including blood sampling for determination of micronutrient status. Overall, 663 participants with a total of 2236 serum folate measurements were included. A linear mixed model was applied, and measures are presented as β-coefficients with 95% confidence interval (CI). Forty-eight percent (CI: 44–51) of the population had low serum folate levels (s-folate < 10 nmol/L), and 23% (CI: 20–26) were deficient (s-folate < 6.8 nmol/L) at baseline. Sixty percent (CI: 53–65) sustained their poor folate status in at least one subsequent assessment. Except for weekly use of cannabis (mean difference in serum folate [nmol/L]: −1.8, CI: −3.3, −0.25) and alcohol (1.9, CI: 0.15, 3.6), weekly use of no other substance class was associated with baseline differences in serum folate when compared to less frequent or no use. Injecting substances was associated with a reduction in serum folate over time (−1.2, CI: −2.3, −0.14), as was higher dosages of OAT medication (−1.1, CI: −2.2, −0.024). Our findings emphasize the need of addressing nutrition among people with severe SUD.

Keywords: substance use disorder; nutrition; folate; vitamin; opioid agonist therapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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