What is a critically low B12 level?
Values of less than 160 pg/mL (118 pmol/L) are a possible sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency. People with this deficiency are likely to have or develop symptoms. Older adults with a vitamin B12 level less than 100 pg/mL (74 pmol/L) may also have symptoms.
What causes falsely elevated B12 levels?
Some studies have indicated that elevated serum levels of vitamin B12 might be a sign of a serious and life-threatening disease. Such falsely high valued of serum vitamin B12 levels are observed in myeloproliferative disease, acute hepatitis, severe alcoholic liver disease, and cirrhosis.
What should B12 levels be after injection?
After an injection the serum B12 value rises quickly to far above the upper reference value (on average 150-700 pmol/L), followed by a slow decrease.
What is considered a normal vitamin B12 level?
A serum vitamin B12 level between 200 pg/mL and 900 pg/mL is considered normal, but a threshold of 300 to 350 pg/mL is recognized as a marker for a desirable status in the elderly. The laboratory diagnosis is usually based on low serum vitamin B12 levels or elevated serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels.
What happens if your B12 is dangerously low?
Not having enough B12 can lead to anemia, which means your body does not have enough red blood cells to do the job. This can make you feel weak and tired. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause damage to your nerves and can affect memory and thinking.
Can you have a false high B12?
Low vitamin B12 levels can be measured as false normal or false high, especially in pernicious anemia, due to excessive amounts of anti-intrinsic factor antibodies present in the serum [5,6,7].
Is B12 level of 1600 too high?
The normal range for vitamin B12 (total) is between 200 – 1100 ng/L (nanograms per liter), 200 – 1100 pg/mL (picograms per milliliter), or 148 – 811 pmol/L (picomoles per liter). The normal range for active vitamin B12 (holoTC) is around 20 – 134 pmol/L (picomoles per liter).
Is 400 a low B12 level?
Patients with serum vitamin B12 levels between 150 and 400 ng/L are considered borderline deficient and should be evaluated further by functional tests for vitamin B12 deficiency.
What should my vitamin B12 level be in my blood?
Vitamin B12 status is typically assessed via serum or plasma vitamin B12 levels. Values below approximately 170–250 pg/mL (120–180 picomol/L) for adults [5] indicate a vitamin B12 deficiency. However, evidence suggests that serum vitamin B12 concentrations might not accurately reflect intracellular concentrations [6].
Can you take vitamin B12 as a supplement?
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement and a prescription medication.
How does pernicious anemia affect vitamin B12?
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease that affects the gastric mucosa and results in gastric atrophy. This leads to the destruction of parietal cells, achlorhydria, and failure to produce intrinsic factor, resulting in vitamin B12 malabsorption [3,5,9-11].
Are there any health risks from vitamin B12?
Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin B12. In Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, the IOM states that “no adverse effects have been associated with excess vitamin B12 intake from food and supplements in healthy individuals” [ 5 ].