Hello, I need some advice regarding which brands of supplements to use and the dosage. I have received the following results from medichecks :-
Folate - Serum 9.72 - Range 3.89 to 19.45
B12 - Active 92.2 - Range 37.5 to 187.5
Vitamin D - 71.6 - Range 30 to 175
Magnesium - 0.97 - Range 0.7 to 1
CRP HS - 0.66 - Range 0 to 5
Iron - 22.67 - Range 5.8 to 34.5
Ferritin - 87.20 - Range 13 to 150
Total Cholestrol - 6.22 - Range 0 to 5
LDL Cholestrol - 3.32 - Range 0 to 3
Non HDL Cholestrol - 3.92 - Range 0 to 4
HDL Cholestrol - 2.30 - Range greater than 1.3
Total Cholestrol HDL - 2.7 - Range less than 4
Triglycerides - 1.33 - Range less than 1.7
I definitely need to increase my Folate, can I take a supplement for this, and can it be combined with any other vitamin or mineral ? I also need to increase my B12 and Vitamin D, but what brands are best to take and what dosage should I be taking ? Also Ferritin and Iron, what is best to take to increase my levels of these and at what dosage ? I am a bit confused as to what CRP HS is and wether my result is good or if it should be higher ? Apologies for all the questions but trying to optimise vitamins and nutrition to see if this helps my energy and brain fog rather than changing Levothyroxine dosage, which has caused anxiety issues in the past.
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A good quality, bioavailable B Complex will help raise both these results. Consider Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B. Both contain the bioavailable forms of the B vitamins, particularly methylfolate (for folate) and methylcobalamin (for B12).
Vitamin D - 71.6 - Range 30 to 175
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L. To reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 3,000iu D3 daily.
Retest after 3 months.
I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels which are pure and only have lD3 and extra virgin olive oil, no excipients.
Once you've reached the recomended 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.
For K2-MK7 I like Vegavero or if it's not available then Vitabay.
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.
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.
A red cell magnesium test is the better indicator of magnesium status, not the standard serum magnesium test.
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.
If magnesium citrate is the one you need then I like Natural Calm Original Magnesium Citrate Powder, you start low and build up, if you get diarrhoea you drop dose back. I have no suggestiosn for any other form of magnesium.
CRP HS - 0.66 - Range 0 to 5
I am a bit confused as to what CRP HS is and wether my result is good or if it should be higher ?
CRP is an inflammation marker so the lower the better.
The "HS" part of this test is explained on Medichecks web page for the test bundle you have done and should say
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is an inflammation marker used to assess whether there is inflammation in the body - it does not identify where the inflammation is located. High Sensitivity CRP (CRP-hs) is a test which is used to detect low-level inflammation which is thought to damage blood vessels which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. When you have a serious injury you get a lot of inflammation around the site of injury. You can imagine the swelling around a twisted ankle. Any injury like this will cause your CRP-hs to rise. However, people who train often are also at risk of chronic low level inflammation, which can impact your performance negatively. We use CRP-hs in conjunction with CK and your full blood count (see liver and full blood count sections) to paint this picture. Inflammatory markers like CRP-hs offer the best insights if you are rested when you have the test, otherwise they might be elevated due to recent exercise.
Iron - 22.67 - Range 5.8 to 34.5
Ferritin - 87.20 - Range 13 to 150
Also Ferritin and Iron, what is best to take to increase my levels of these and at what dosage ?
Why do you want to raise these? They are good results. Serum iron is optimal at 55-70% through range, with the higher end for males, and Ferritin is recommended to be half way through range which is 82 with that range.
Raised cholesterol is often a symptom of hypothyroidism. You haven't included thyroid test results so we don't know whether or not you are optimally medicated, if you are diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism.
Many thanks for your comprehensive reply, you have really helped me, I will certainly take your advice. I am currently taking 100mg of Levo and my levels were okish when I was lasted tested, I tried adding an extra 25 mg but this brought back the hyper anxiety feelings and I am louthed to go down that path again ! So I am go I going to work on my vitamins and then get my thyroids and vitamins tested in 6 to 8 weeks to see if an improvement, so wish me luck.
See a nutritionist with your blood results, they have in depth knowledge on supplements that doctors don’t.
Also never buy supplements from high street pharmacies or health food chains as they are quite inferior (low dosage and cheaper versions of the nutrient). There are plenty of places selling high grade supplements online so you’re not paying for the cost of Boots’ shop in your local high street!
Ok I thought it would be unlikely on the NHS ! Thank you for your advice regarding dieticians as well. It is so helpful to talk to people that are going through the same issues. Take care.
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