Vitamins

[Alex_p]

Hello! I recently did some blood tests for my thyroid and the results were actually pretty good. However, I do still feel a bit tired so I decided to test my vitamin levels. They are as follows:

Folate 7.2 ( range 8.93-45)

Active B12 61 (range 37.5-150)

Ferritin 43 (range 15-150)

My folate is obviously low but my B12 and iron are not looking great either. Can you suggest some good supplements for all 3? What are the ideal values for the vitamins?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Alex_p

No Vit D?

Recommended levels are:

Vit D: 100-150nmol/L as recommended by the Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health, with a recent blog post on Grassrooots Health recommending at least 125nmol/L.

B12: Active B12 below 70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency, over 70 but below 100 suggests supplementing with B12, over 100 is the aim. If Total B12 is tested then minimum of 550pg/ml, and "For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml" according to Sally Pacholock's "Could it be B12".

Folate: at least half way through range.

Ferritin: half way through range although some experts say that the optimal level for thyroid function is 90-110ug/L.

Can you suggest some good supplements for all 3?

B12 - Ideally you will get tested for B12 deficiency.

Do you have any signs of B12 deficiency – check here:

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

b12d.org/submit/document?id=46

If you do then list them to discuss with your GP and ask for testing for B12 deficiency and Pernicious Anaemia. Do not take any B12 supplements or folic acid/folate/B Complex supplements before further testing of B12 as this will mask signs of B12 deficiency and skew results.

When asking GP to test quote the following:

Active B12 below 70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency according to Viapath at St Thomas' Hospital:

viapath.co.uk/our-tests/act...

Reference range:>70. *Between 25-70 referred for MMA

There is a link at the bottom of the page to print off the pdf to show your GP.

Folate - obviously do nothing until after B12 has been tested for deficiency/Pernicious Anaemia, then once B12 injections or supplements started you can give it a few days then add in a good quality bioavailable B Complex which will help raise folate level and keep all B vitamins balanced.

I have used Thorne Basic B for a long time and always been happy.

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).

Ferritin - 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...

Don't consider taking an iron supplement unless you do an iron panel, if you already have a decent level of serum iron and a good saturation percentage then taking iron tablets can push your iron level even higher, too much iron is as bad as too little.

[Alex_p in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much for the detailed answer. When I did the test for Vit D in June it was 84 nmol/L (I can’t see the ranges anymore). I’ll speak to my GP about testing for B12, I do have some of the symptoms - especially getting tired in the afternoon.