Latest Medichecks’s blood test results- Please advise/ recommend

[sunshineisbetter]

I have already been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease. Any recommendations for improvements I can make based on these results? (Other than increasing Levothyroxine which I’ve already started doing)

I’m thinking that even though my iron & vitamins are in range, it might be an idea to increase my Vitamin B12, D and iron by supplementing. (Considering purchasing betteryou oral sprays)

Please advise and recommend- thank you

[JAmanda]

I’d want a higher folate as well so do good b vits maybe. Your T3 is fairly good so the Levo increase should help a lot. I found once I got my thyroid levels high my vits naturally improved.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

sunshineisbetter

it might be an idea to increase my Vitamin B12, D and iron by supplementing.

Ferritin: 77.7

Ferritin is recommended to be lhalf way through range, which is 82 with that range. You shouldn't supplement with iron unless you have an iron panel and it shows iron deficiency. This is because if you already have a decent serum iron level then taking iron supplements will likely cause your serum iron to go too high, and too much iron is as bad as too little.

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

bda.uk.com/resource/iron-ri...

everydayhealth.com/pictures...

Active B12 over 100 is good so you don't need a B12 supplement.

Folate is quite low and is recommended to be at least half way through range. A good quality, bioavailable B Complex should help raise your level and will maintain (and possibly raise) your B12 level too. My preference is Thorne Basic B. If you look at different brands then look for the words "bioavailable" or "bioactive" and ensure they contain methylcobalamin (not cyanocobalamin) and methylfolate (not folic acid). Avoid any that contain Vit C as this stops the body from using the B12. Vit C and B12 need to be taken 2 hours apart.

When taking a B Complex we should leave this off for 3-7 days before any blood test because it contains biotin and this gives false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure (which most labs do).

Vit D: 74.2nmol/L

The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L.

If you're not currently taking D3 then supplementing with 3,000iu D3 daily during the winter months would be a good idea, retesting at the end of March.

Once you've reached the recommended level then a maintenance dose will be needed 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. This can be done with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3. You will have to buy these yourself.

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. 90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

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.

For D3 I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels, they are an oil based very small softgel which contains just two ingredients - D3 and extra virgin olive oil, a good quality, nice clean supplement which is budget friendly. Some people like BetterYou oral spray but this contains a lot of excipients and works out more expensive.

For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands which contain the correct form of K2-MK7 - the "All Trans" form rather than the "Cis" form. The All Trans form is the bioactive form, a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.

If looking for a combined D3/K2 supplement, this one has 3,000iu D3 and 50mcg K2-MK7. The company has told me the K2-MK7 is the Trans form

natureprovides.com/collecti...

It may also be available on Amazon.

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, and large doses of D3 can induce depletion of magnesium. 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.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

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.

Hashi's often causes gut/absorption problems which in turn can cause low nutrient levels. Some members find that a gluten free diet helps although there is no guarantee.