Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obesity is known to be a disease of civilization. Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of obesity. In the vast majority of cases, the main factor is eating disorders and hypodynamy. The modern human exceeds daily food demand mainly due to saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, with lack of fibre and vitamin. We decided to test the source of folic acid, because this vitamin is part of the folate cycle as a coenzyme to reduce homocysteine levels. At high levels of homocystein, the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis increases. Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Ukraine. The goal of the work is to study the source of folic acid depending on the body mass index in the inhabitants of the Odessa region.

Methods: Fifty-six persons (16 men and 40 women) aged from 20 to 65 living in the Odessa region were examined. Height, weight, and BMI were measured. Folic acid was determined with an immunochemical method with electrochemiluminescent detection of the test system Cobas 6000; Roche Diagnostics (Switzerland).

Results: Based on the determination of the level of folic acid in the blood, 19.6% of the surveyed inhabitants of the Odessa region had a deficiency of this vitamin. In the obesity group, the rate was 32 per cent. Folic acid deficiency can be nutritional (insufficient use of deciduous green and/or abuse of coffee) or genetically induced (folate cycle polymorphism), and further research is needed, with the development of deficit correction techniques.