Folate level

[Belalf]

Can a folate level of 9.5 mask a b12 deficiency?

[Nackapan]

I dont think so . Mine wad that and b12 106 same blood test . Usually done together

[Nackapan]

Look at the range . Usually right hand side of form. 9.5 if measured the same was in range. Top of range 24

[Belalf in reply to Nackapan]

I havent got the ranges i paid for my tests off thriva. Do you know if 9.5 is classed as low?

[Nackapan in reply to Belalf]

9 Ng/l is good and in range. Have you tried b12 tablets? Also

upping b12 rich foods?

I would try this first.

Injections are certainly not my first choice. One on them your body seems to need higher levels of b12

[Nackapan in reply to Belalf]

They should help you understand the results or a doctor could look at them

[fbirder]

No.

There's a lot of confusion about the 'masking a B12 deficiency' stuff.

If you have very low B12 then it can prevent the conversion of one type of folate (there are at least six natural and three non-natural types) to another. Lets call them MTHF and THF. Without this conversion all the natural folate in the body gets stuck at MTHF.

That means that the amounts of another type of folate, MeTHF, drops when there's not enough B12. MeTHF is needed to make DNA, and DNA is needed to make new red blood cells.

If there's not enough B12 then there's not enough MeTHF and the body cannot make enough DNA so it can't make enough red blood cells. The red cells it does make keep growing instead of dividing, giving you extra large red cells called macrocytic anaemia.

So macrocytic anaemia is a symptom of low B12.

However, if you take a lot of folic acid then it is converted to MeTHF before it gets trapped as MTHF. There is now enough MeTHF to make enough DNA. So you don't have macrocytic anaemia.

And that is what is meant by 'masking a B12 deficiency. The folate stops you from getting macrocytic anaemia. This is only a problem if you have an undiagnosed B12 deficiency, if you take lots of folic acid, and you have a doctor stupid enough to believe that macrocytic anaemia must be present if you have a B12 deficiency.

It doesn't mean that high folate can affect the levels of a B12 test.

[Belalf in reply to fbirder]

Thank you for that. 😊

With my total b12 at 264 is there a possibility for neurological symptoms to be present? And

do you know much in relation to ferritin levels mine is 21? Is this low enough for me to have symptoms of low iron. I am new to all of this, sorry for all the questions.

[esteloca in reply to Belalf]

Hi Belalf. Sorry I haven't read much of what's going on with you, I haven't been here in months but I can tell you from experience that yes, your low ferritin can cause symptoms and yes you could be experiencing neurological symptoms from b12 of 264. Everyone is different and a lot of doctors will tell you there's nothing wrong with you. This happened to me for most of my life, even after needing blood transfusions and iron infusions I still had doctors telling me there was nothing wrong with me and my symptoms were from anxiety and depression which was not true.

Ppl would tell me to find another doctor and I did - 45 mins away.

The best advice I can give you is to keep trying to find another Dr. I know it's not really possible rt now though so I guess I'd buy my own b12 and multi or something just to get the ball rolling... do whatever you think you need to do. Just make sure you follow up with another Dr.

Some vitamins are toxic so you can't just take a bunch and hope for the best. I'm sure you know that though.

I've heard the b12 that goes under your tongue is good but I don't have experience with that.

I'm sorry you're not feeling well and hope you find answers soon. Hang in there till you do.

One more thing in case you don't realize this but "normal" levels are not always normal. Like when something's just barely within normal range you could have a deficiency. Many doctors are way too cut & dry when it comes to being within range.

Take care.

[Catman1 in reply to Belalf]

Not sure of the answer but 264 is quite low. B12 injections maybe worth a try to see if it makes a difference. Best of luck

[fbirder in reply to Belalf]

264 may be low, it may be very high.

What were the units and the range? It should be something like

264 pg/mL (114 - 150 pg/mL)

[Seth12345]

Yes, neurological symptoms can present themselves at levels under 400 from the medical literature I've read.. The blood serum level is not the same as "active" at the cellular level. I've read that many countries think average people should have a level over 500.

[fbirder in reply to Seth12345]

Yes, I've read that.

It's wrong.

Here's one example where it's quoted and you'll agree with me that it's wrong...clancymedicalgroup.com/vita...

The quote is...

The medical field in Japan and Europe considers a patient to have vitamin B12 deficiency if testing reveals levels below 500 pg/mL to 550 pg/mL.

Yup. Dr Clancy reckons that those of us in Europe are lucky because we need to have levels above 550 pg/mL.

If you look at the real data then you'll find that 95% of normal people have B12 levels below 550 pg/mL

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Ferritin: when my hair started falling out and my gums started bleeding (which sounds a bit like general malnutrition) I thought these were just more B12 deficiency symptoms. My GP said that if ferritin below 60 ug/L (range: 13- 150 ug/L), you can have symptoms - and saw these two problems as more likely to be folate or ferritin than due to my B12 deficiency.

Folate: this also very up and down and took a couple of years to stabilise. Probably best in the top third of range (range: 4.6 - 18.7 ug/L) so around 14+.

NOTE: These are ranges and units of measurement from my test results: either or both of these could be different to your own. With ferritin and folate, you should supplement on GPs advice and monitoring, as going over range can also have adverse effects.

I'm not a medical professional.

If units of measurement are both ug/L :

Your ferritin, while in range, could really do with help.

Your folate, within range, could be a bit better.

What is your diet like ? So much better for you to get what you need from food if you can. And so much cheaper too. Not great to rely on a load of tablets unnecessarily.

Raising both these levels might help you to eliminate either of these as causes of your symptoms. It takes a while to alter these and maintain a good level. Then if both results are looking better, you might be able to get GP to revisit the possibility of B12 issues. Keep a daily record of symptoms: frequency, severity. That might help you too.