Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy) + Vitamin B12 + Thyroid

The Vitamin B12 test measures your vitamin B12 levels. This vitamin is essential for various health aspects, such as maintaining a healthy nervous system, making red blood cells, and creating the genetic material of our cells. Low vitamin B12 levels are more likely to occur in older adults, children, vegans, vegetarians, people with diabetes, individuals who underwent gastric bypass surgery, women who are breastfeeding, and in conditions like Crohn’s disease that impact the absorption of this vitamin. High vitamin B12 levels are seen in conditions like liver diseases and myeloproliferative disorders. Also, high levels of vitamin B12 are seen in individuals on vitamin supplementation, but this usually does not require treatment as the excess vitamin is flushed out through urine.

The Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy) test measures the levels of vitamin D in the body. It is an essential nutrient that can be synthesized in the body upon healthy exposure to sunlight or absorbed from dietary sources. It majorly exists in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D2 is present in plants, such as yeast or mushrooms, and is available as a supplement in fortified foods, and vitamin D3 is found in foods like cheese, green vegetables, mushrooms, egg yolks, and fatty fish.

Both forms of vitamin D (D2 and D3) need to undergo some chemical changes before being available for use in the body. These chemical changes take place in the liver or kidneys. The levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in blood are considered the best parameter to assess the vitamin D status of the body. This test measures the level of Total 25-OH vitamin D (D2+D3), but it does not differentiate between the two forms, as it is the major form of vitamin D that circulates in the blood.

The Thyroid Profile Total (T3, T4 & TSH) measures the levels of triiodothyronine hormone (T3) total, thyroxine hormone (T4) total, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the blood. Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and TSH work in opposite ways. When T3 and T4 levels go up, TSH levels usually go down, and when T3 and T4 go down, TSH goes up. This happens due to the pituitary-thyroid feedback mechanism:

In hypothyroidism (low levels of T3 and T4), the pituitary gland responds by increasing TSH secretion to stimulate the thyroid gland.

In hyperthyroidism (elevated T3 and T4 levels), TSH secretion is suppressed to decrease thyroid activity.

This further contains

• Thyroxine - Total
• Triiodothyronine Total
• TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) Ultrasensitive