B12 Problems and Test

[patryk97]

Hey everyone: I think that I have lack of vitamin B12 and Iron- How do I get the test and how long should I been waiting for?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

There are different tests for B12 - eg serum B12 and active B12 - which test you can get depends on where you are - norm in UK is serum B12 - which should be done with serum folate (as two vitamins are closely related and used together by the body).

There are also a whole raft of tests relating to iron.

Interpreting serum B12 is problematic as it looks at all B12 in the blood not just active form that is used by cells - one reason why there is quite a large grey area where people can show significant clinical symptoms of B12 but their blood tests come back as 'normal range' but medics often aren't aware of this and so you can be told that your test results are normal when actually you are B12 deficient.

Have you spoken to your doctor?

It is best to avoid supplementing B12 until after the test has been done as supplementation can significantly affect the results. If you have been supplementing then you really need to have stopped for 3-6 months before getting the tests done.

There are a couple of tests - MMA (in urine) and homocysteine - that can help to clarify an underlying B12 deficiency when serum B12 is in the grey area - generally from 500/450 downwards. These tests look at waste products that build up if the body does't have enough B12.