I just got results back from a medichecks nutrition check back and wanted a bit of advice regarding the results:
Total cholesterol: 4.84 (0-5)
LDL: 2.76 (<3)
Non HDL: 3.19 (<4)
HDL: 1.65 (>1.3)
Total cholesterol:HDL: 2.93 (<4)
Triglycerides 0.94 (1.7)
CRP HS: 17.44(<5)
Ferritin 46.2 (13-150)
Magnesium 0.88 (0.7-1)
Folate 11.7 (3.89)
Vitamin B12 active: 78.6 (>37.5)
Vitamin D: 30.6 (50-175)
I am deficient in Vitamin D - am I better off self-supplementing or going to the doctors regarding this - is it likely they will just get me in range but not to optimum?
I'm within range for B12 but not sure if my result is optimum, and how much I should supplement.
I just want to make sure that I get the right supplements first time so I don't waste my limited money on stuff that won't work.
My CRP is high - I don't know much about this and whether it would be related to thyroid, or is more likely to be related to my pre existing heart condition.
Any help would be much appreciated.
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Sparklegrrl
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I wont comment on cholesterol, etc, as they are all within range.
CRP HS: 17.44(<5)
My CRP is high - I don't know much about this and whether it would be related to thyroid, or is more likely to be related to my pre existing heart condition.
This is an inflammation marker although it is non specific. CRP can be high due to inflammation or infection somewhere. Because it is the High Sensitivity test then Medichecks may have given some heart related comments. I don't think anyone here is qualified to say whether or not your high result is connected to your heart condition.
Ferritin 46.2 (13-150)
Ferritin can be raised if infection or inflammation is present, sometimes we see a raised ferritin and a raised CRP and this would suggest possible inflammation/infection.
Your result is on the low side. As it's within range it will be of no concern to our GP. Ferritin is recommended to be half way through it's range (GP wont know this, they are not taught about nutrition and optimal levels). You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
Testing magnesium is unreliable. About 99% of magnesium is stored in bone, muscles and soft tissues, leaving about 1% in the blood. So testing what's in the blood isn't giving an accurate picture of our magnesium status.
Folate and Active B12 are OK. As an Active B12 result below 70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency, I like mine to be over 100.
You could take a B Complex supplement which can improve your levels if taken daily, or maybe just take a couple of times a week to maintain your levels. Recommended here are Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B, these are both good brands with bioavailable forms of the active ingredients.
Be aware that when taking B Complex then it should be left off for 7 days before any blood tests, this is because it contains Biotin (B7) and if Biotin is used in the testing procedure (as most labs do) then it can give false results.
Vitamin D: 30.6 (50-175)
I am deficient in Vitamin D - am I better off self-supplementing or going to the doctors regarding this - is it likely they will just get me in range but not to optimum?
Vit D deficiency is when the level is <25. Insufficiency is 25-50.Your GP may, or may not prescribe for your current level. Even if he does, it's likely to be only 800iu D3 which is totally inadequate to raise your level.
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L. To reach that level from your current level, my suggestion (and I am not medically qualified, my response is based on personal experience, reading and research) would be to take 6,000iu D3 for one month, reduce to 4,000iu daily for a further 2 months, then retest.
When you have reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking magnesium as tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
For best absorption of D3, avoid tablets and capsules, choose either an oil based softgel (eg Doctor's Best) or some people like an oral spray (eg BetterYou) which is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the oral cavity and so bypasses the stomach. Doctor's Best is pure, with only 2 ingredients - D3 and extra virgin olive oil - and BetterYou has quite a lot of excipients.
Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.
I only just noticed the doctors comments! They have made some about the CRP and seeing my GP if I have pain, fever etc. and suggested rechecking in 6-8 weeks so I will follow up on that.
I'm vegan so I will look into finding suitable way to increase iron in my diet. Thanks for the recommendations on the level of supplements, I've read plenty of stuff but it never seems to stick and I get a bit overwhelmed with information overload, so that's all really helpful.
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