I received my results (through Blue Horizon) and need some help in interpreting these. The reason I did my own blood test is because I am not being tested for full vitamins and T3 and the doctors all have no answers because everything looks "okay". I am also having lots of hair loss and can't get pregnant. Somehow I think the answers are lying within the numbers but not sure. Sadly, I haven't found much help on dealing with fertility and hair loss in light of having a total thyroidectomy.
TSH - .15 (Range .27 - 4.20 mIU/L)
Free T4- 20.9 (Range 12 - 22.0 pmol/L)
Free T3 - 4.21 (Range 3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L)
Ferritin - 66.3 (Range 13-150 ug/L)
Vitamin D - 71 (Range 50 - 175 nmol/L)
Vitamin B12 - 495 (300 - 569 nmol/L)
Magnesium - .91 (Range .7 - 1.0 mmol/L)
Cortisol - 365 (Range 113 -456 nmol/L)
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missam
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What's wrong is you don't convert very well, so your FT3 is too low, and your ferritin, vit D and vit B12 are also on the low side. The two could be connected, but not necessarily.
Many things can cause poor conversion, for example low-calorie diets - are you dieting? - or a virus, or many other things. Or, sub-optimal nutrients. So, the first thing to do is optimise your nutrients.
Ferritin would be better near 100, but it's best to get your iron from food. Can you eat liver or liver pâté once a week?
Vit d would also be better near 100. If you take vit D3 supplements, you should also take vit K2 - MK7 and magnesium. Your magnesium looks good, but blood test results are deceptive due to the way the body handles magnesium. Results will almost always be in-range, but that does not mean you're not deficient. Just take some, anyway, because taking vit D will deplete it. Excess magnesium is excreted.
I find that upper limit for B12 depressing because it means they don't really understand B12. It's usually a lot higher than that. B12 should be at least over 550, preferably higher. You need to take a daily sublingual nugget of methylcobalamin, 1000 mcg, plus a daily B complex, to keep the Bs balanced.
Your cortisol isn't too bad. But, best to support the adrenals by raising your b vitamin levels, and take plenty of vit C. And, make sure you get plenty of salt in your diet. Adrenals love salt!
This is very helpful greygoose I am looking up the best K2-MK7 & Magnesium suppliers now in addition to the methylcobalamin. I have never heard of these. I am not dieting and eat plant based so I am not sure why I am so deficient but this is a good start. Thanks again.
With a pant-based diet, it's not surprising that you are low in iron and B12. You only find B12 in animal products. And plant iron is less easily absorbed than iron from animal products.
You chose magnesium by what you want it to do for you, rather than by suppliers:
Magnesium citrate: mild laxative, best for constipation.
Magnesium taurate: best for cardiovascular health.
Magnesium malate: best for fatigue – helps make ATP energy.
Magnesium glycinate: most bioavailable and absorbable form, non-laxative.
Magnesium chloride: for detoxing the cells and tissues, aids kidney function and can boost a sluggish metabolism.
Magnesium carbonate: good for people suffering with indigestion and acid reflux as it contains antacid properties.
Worst forms of magnesium: oxide, sulphate, glutamate and aspartate.
For B12, the best make is Jarrows. And, for the B complex, Igennus. You can find them on Amazon, for example. But don't buy your supplements on the High Street, they are never good quality.
Oh, sorry! I normal write B12 in brackets after writing methylcobalamin, because not many people know it's B12. Actually, cobalamin is B12, methyl is the form of B12. A lot of supplements use the form cyanocobalamin, but that's not as well absorbed.
I am looking up the best K2-MK7 & Magnesium suppliers
It might help you to understand a bit more about Vit K2-MK7.
MK4 and MK7 are both forms of vitamin K2.
MK4 has a short life-span., it has a half life of about 1.5 hours and needs multiple doses during the day when supplementing. MK7 has a half life of about 72 hours, so a once daily dose is enough. So it makes more sense to supplement with MK7.
I'm not good with scientific explanations but put simply there are two forms - All-Trans form and Cis form.
All-Trans form v Cis form:
The recommended amount of K2-MK7 is 90-100mcg for up to 10,000iu D3. The best form of K2-MK7 is the All-Trans form rather than the Cis form. The All-Trans form is the bioactive form, the Cis form is inactivie (a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid).
There's lots of information available but mainly seems to be on sites selling supplements so I wont link to them, but the message is:
"Since trans-isomer MK-7 are more readily used by our body, they are considered more bioactive. Many K2 ingredients have a mixture of cis and trans isomers, depending on how well they are produced. You’ll want to look for K2 supplements with a high percentage of trans-isomer MK-7, ideally 100%."
The Cis form is cheaper and is what many K2-MK7 supplements use but they don't tell you this.
The All-Trans form can be available as liquid drops, eg Vitabay Organics, or capsule, eg VegaVero. I have used both, they are available from Amazon and maybe other places.
MK7 is fat soluble so should be taken with some dietary fat - traditional English breakfast maybe, or other meal containing fat.
The present review of the literature regarding B12 status among vegetarians shows that the rates of B12 depletion and deficiency are high. It is, therefore, recommended that health professionals alert vegetarians about the risk of developing subnormal B12 status. Vegetarians should also take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including the regular intake of B12 supplements to prevent deficiency. Considering the low absorption rate of B12 from supplements, a dose of at least 250 μg should be ingested for the best results.3
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