B vitamins are a class of water-soluble vitamins which play important roles in cell metabolism, converting food into fuel and metabolising fats and proteins. They are important for the nervous system and brain function as well as a healthy liver, hair, skin and eyes, and they also strengthens the immune system.
Understanding your B vitamin levels are especially important if you have elevated homocysteine levels. Elevated homocysteine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is a multifactorial condition with genetic and environmental factors involved, and can often be managed providing there are sufficient B vitamins.
Holotranscobalamin represents only 10-30% of the Vitamin B12 circulating in the blood but is the ONLY form of Vitamin B12 that is taken up and used by cells of the body, hence it’s other name - ACTIVE Vitamin B12.
Found naturally in food, such as green leafy vegetables. Folate (vitamin B9) plays a role in DNA creation and is important for the production of red blood cells.
Pyridoxal-5-phosphate - found in meat, poultry, fish, seafood dairy, lentils, beans, carrots, spinach, bananas, brown rice and whole-grains. Helps the body make neurotransmitters to carry signals between cells. Also important for controlling homocysteine levels, brain function, hormone and red cell production and the immune system.
The importance of homocysteine as a marker for health and wellbeing has recently become evident with elevated levels now recognised as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s.
As much as half of the population may have an MTHFR gene test mutation which has been linked to anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and depression.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that helps maintain healthy nerves and red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA. This simple vitamin B12 blood test will tell you if you have a deficiency.