The main objective of the research was to develop a standardized tool named B-VITAAS-39 (B-vitamin deficiency, anxiety, and stress) using a Delphi technique, and to look for any significant association between B-vitamin deficiency, anxiety, and stress.

The study was conducted among 2190 Indian adults aged 18–39 and lasted 6weeks. B-vitamin deficiency was assessed using the B-VITAAS-39 tool and 24-hour dietary recall interviews. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase I included tool development, phase II included the constitution of experimental groups, and phase III included pre- & post- nutritional status and statistical analyses.

The pre- and post-study showed a significant effect (P<0.001) of dietary management in the severely deficient group, assessed using the B-VITAAS-39 tool. After adjustment for a wide range of confounders, an inverse relationship was found post-intervention between Riboflavin and anxiety and stress risk among males (174.99±8.72, P<0.001*) and females (185.46±54.39, P<0.001*). A moderate intake of riboflavin among males (1.44±0.16, P<0.001*) and females (0.91±0.22, P<0.001*) was associated with a lower risk of anxiety and stress. A higher intake of Thiamine among males (1.63±0.25, P<0.001*) and females (1.21±0.04, P=0.01*) was associated with a lower risk of anxiety and stress. The study revealed that B-vitamin dietary intake reduced the risk of anxiety and stress in the severe B-vitamin-deficient group.

The study found that appropriate dietary intake can minimize B-vitamin deficiency. Thus, the B-VITAAS-39 tool efficaciously assessed the deficiency of B-vitamins among individuals without incurring any cost or discomfort.