Do you think Vit B12 problems could be causing my symptoms?? (Vegan)

[ZenAlex]

Hi. 

So recently I've been getting these symptoms - Whenever I do any form of exercising, I sometimes get lightheaded, and I have been feeling very depressed and irritable after exercising, as well as more anxious. These symptoms are associated with Pernicious Anemia, which is linked to b12 intake.

My B12 has always come back in acceptable ranges, and the docs showed no concerns, but I shared my results with others and they said my levels are not optimal.

I had two tests recently - 

One test came back - 44.1 pmol/L (Recommended range is 37.5-150)

On another it was 292ng/l Recommend range on test- [150.0 - 1000.0]

I've heard that Pernicious Anemia is associated with poor b12 intake.

I've sometimes supplemented but not always, as my fortified foods seemed to be giving me enough, and doctors showed no concerns.

I've just started taking a high strength B12 supplement, and will see what happens.

Advice?

[undeather]

The pernicious anemia is a specific form of a vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, triggered by a lack of intrinsic factor (a protein your body needs to absorp B12) within the context of atrophic autoimmune gastritis. I highly doubt you suffer from this condition.

Even though you are on the lower end of the recommended B12-range, there is no way you get anemia from that. 
I am sure the doctor you visited did a blood-test?
A manifested B12-deficiecny anemia is easy to diagnose through a normal blood-lab with high MCV (mean cell volume) & MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), high LDH, high Bilirubin & low hemoglobin. 

Now something important: Serum B12 is not the best measurement in that case.  A significant portion of Vitamin B12 is bound to haptocorrin and therefore biochemically inactive. A better indicator is Holo-Transcobalamin (Holo-TC), also referred to as "active B12". You would also want to measure your methylmalonic acid (MMA) & homocysteine-levels - which indicate a so called functional B12-deficiency. 

If you really want to evaluate your B12- metabolism, then you need to go that extra mile.
_____________________

That said, now let's talk about your symptoms. There are dozens of pontential explanations for your complaints. This could range from micro or macronutrient deficiencies, some more or less serious medical conditions or simply a psychosomatic maladaptation. I know how dismissive most doctors can get when it comes to "weird and complex" symptoms which aren't easily explained through cookie-cutter diagnoses. It's crucual for you to  find someone who takes you seriously and wants to work with you through that. This could be another doctor or a knowledegeable health-coach like @Michael569. It's really difficult to give you an over the internet perscription of what to do next because I don't know you, nor your medical history. 

Maybe the best thing you can do on your own is to change up your lifestyle habits a bit. Maybe change your dietary patterns, see how your body reacts if you put some form of animal product back into your diet. Maybe try eating some salmon for example. Observe what happens and maybe you can resolve it on your own. 

 

Edited January 10 by undeather

[ZenAlex]

17 minutes ago, undeather said:

The pernicious anemia is a specific form of a vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, triggered by a lack of intrinsic factor (a protein your body needs to absorp B12) within the context of atrophic autoimmune gastritis. I highly doubt you suffer from this condition.

Even though you are on the lower end of the recommended B12-range, there is no way you get anemia from that. 
I am sure the doctor you visited did a blood-test?
A manifested B12-deficiecny anemia is easy to diagnose through a normal blood-lab with high MCV (mean cell volume) & MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), high LDH, high Bilirubin & low hemoglobin. 

Now something important: Serum B12 is not the best measurement in that case.  A significant portion of Vitamin B12 is bound to haptocorrin and therefore biochemically inactive. A better indicator is Holo-Transcobalamin (Holo-TC), also referred to as "active B12". You would also want to measure your methylmalonic acid (MMA) & homocysteine-levels - which indicate a so called functional B12-deficiency. 

If you really want to evaluate your B12- metabolism, then you need to go that extra mile.
_____________________

That said, now let's talk about your symptoms. There are dozens of pontential explanations for your complaints. This could range from micro or macronutrient deficiencies, some more or less serious medical conditions or simply a psychosomatic maladaptation. I know how dismissive most doctors can get when it comes to "weird and complex" symptoms which aren't easily explained through cookie-cutter diagnoses. It's crucual for you to  find someone who takes you seriously and wants to work with you through that. This could be another doctor or a knowledegeable health-coach like @Michael569. It's really difficult to give you an over the internet perscription of what to do next because I don't know you, nor your medical history. 

Maybe the best thing you can do on your own is to change up your lifestyle habits a bit. Maybe change your dietary patterns, see how your body reacts if you put some form of animal product back into your diet. Maybe try eating some salmon for example. Observe what happens and maybe you can resolve it on your own. 

 

I am beginning to take a b12 supp and see how it goes. Thank you for your input my friend. Below are my red blood cells part of my tests.

 

 

Edited January 10 by ZenAlex

[ZenAlex]

I've just found my b12 levels from 2021, and they were 281 ng/l so slightly lower than my 2023 ones, although it's only serum b12 which isn't, apparently, a good way to test if your b12 levels are sufficient.