Difference in result

[Sheryl5013]

Can I also ask what the difference is between active B12 and serum?

[Sheryl5013]

Above is February NHS results and below is medicheck results

Results

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Sheryl5013]

Did your ferritin also get tested?

Had you been taking a supplement after this test?

From the first NHS test I would say thats a low result but the active B12 is good.

➢Your folate is low so normally we would suggest a B complex to keep all the B vitamins in balance. Any one of these would be a good choice.

amazon.co.uk/Liposomal-Soft...

amazon.co.uk/Yipmai-Liposom...

hempoutlet.co.uk/vitablosso...

➢Vitamin D should be around 100 - 150. Buy one that includes vit K2 to help it go to your bones. Some are available in oil or you can take it with an oily meal for better absorption. Use this calculator to work out how much to take to get your level to 100-150. wildatlantichealth.com/vita...

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

Serum is total and active is available, so bound and unbound

[Sheryl5013 in reply to TiggerMe]

Thank you for responding.So my active being 150 but my serum being 378 would that be worth taking a supplement?

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Sheryl5013]

It wouldn't do any harm... I think generally they recommend levels above 500-600 though others say higher.

Confusing isn't it when you would think the active levels are the more important?

My NHS serum result has just come back at just over 500 so I don't know my active I'm now adding in a sublingual B12 to my usual Thorne Basic B.... worst that happens is you pee the excess out 😊

I'd rather have a little more 🤗

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sheryl5013]

Sheryl5013

So my active being 150 but my serum being 378 would that be worth taking a supplement?

Personally I wouldn't. It's the Active B12 which is said to be the better test as it measures what's available for the cells to use.

Medichecks only measure to 150 despite the range saying 37.5-188. Therefore because yours is recorded as >150 you have no idea how much higher than 150 your level actually is.

We always suggest, with Active B12, to supplement up to 100 along with a good quality bioavailable B Complex to keep all B vitamins balanced. Your level is way above that and taking a separate B12 supplement will be wasting your money, you don't need it. Just take a B Complex such as Thorne Basic B or this one from Amazon which quite a few of us have changed to as Thorne Basic B is often out of stock or goes very expensive:

amazon.co.uk/Yipmai-Liposom...?

[helvella Administrator in reply to TiggerMe]

"serum B12" is a very poor name for the test. After all, both tests are performed on blood serum!

"serum B12" is possibly better thought of as Total B12 - as Eeyore100 says. And it is only called "serum B12" because that is what blood tests have always said.

The Active B12 test isn't completely unbound so much as the B12 which is attached to Transcobalamin II (rather than haptocorrin).

Medichecks have quite a good page:

medichecks.com/blogs/news/w...

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to helvella]

Thanks 🍄... mine was a lazy brain Sunday morning simplification 😏

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to helvella]

Medichecks does explain it rather well doesn't it....

"About 85-90% of the vitamin B12 in your blood is not available for your body to use because it is strongly attached to the protein haptocorrin [5]. When attached to this protein, vitamin B12 cannot be taken in and used by your cells. "

I can see why people say if it's an NHS B12 test (total) 900 - 1000 would likely put you in line with around 100 Active B12 so no need to fork out on an active test too 🤗

The penny has dropped! 😅

Though this doesn't play out in Sheryl's results 😬 378 total and >150 active

I've got some results, though 2 weeks apart, 150 active = 876 total

[Sheryl5013 in reply to TiggerMe]

Sorry if you missed the previous comment about the total being in February and the active was just recently by medi check😉

That’s probably why although it does baffle me has I haven’t taken any B supplements yet so why it raised😂

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Sheryl5013]

That does seem a bit odd... but then blood tests aren't always right 🤷‍♀️ just to muddy the water even further 🙄

If you've eaten a lot of animal products that could have brought it up?

[Sheryl5013 in reply to TiggerMe]

I always have steak once a week 😉I do eat chicken and fish quite a lot too.

I’m going to take a B vitamin with folate in for general health and being menopausal 😂