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Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels
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I just had blood drawn to check for any vitamin deficiencies and I was curious if anyone else here had done the same and what the results were (if you feel like sharing). I'm not having any issues (that I know of). I'm just trying to be proactive just in case I should be supplementing or eating more or less of something. She said that they will check for anemia as well. I was told to expect a phone call in a couple of days. I'm curious to hear the results.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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I did not have a full blood panel but did the DNAFit performance and nutrition work up done. It told me what Vitamins I needed to concentrate on and diet that should work best for me. Very cool, like the blood test.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Racer11MM] [ In reply to ]
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Were your changes after the test diet, supplements, or both?

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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I've had a lot of blood work done lately. Was diagnosed with OTS, lots of deficiencies had left me in a constant state of fatigue (which got worse when I took time off)

Lots of D, Iron, Magnesium and dietary changes later I'm finally back to training. It's something most guys should look at that take training pretty seriously IMO, and I wasn't putting in Mega hours per week.

My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [leegoocrap] [ In reply to ]
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Interesting. It's good to hear that you've come around again after making the changes.

My last IM was Chattanooga and even then I only peaked at 14-15 hours. I have been focusing solely on running since the IM and ran Rocket City, Boston, and will run NYC in November. My Daniels plan has me at 50-60+ miles/week which is 7-8 hours. I am considering another IM next year and that's what got me started thinking about this. I doubt that I would go much above the 14-15 hours just like last year.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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When we (I at least) think of training and fatigue I think big weeks 20+ hours, etc.
What I didn't think about was the gradual accumulation of fatigue over time. Even though I rarely hit 20hr/wks (closer to 13-14 avg) I doubt I missed more than 2 workouts in a year...for 4+ years. I took a small amount of time off (like a week or so, never over 2 weeks) at the end of the year, but basically "trained through" year after year. Eventually I had dug myself into a hole deep enough that I woke up feeling exhausted. I went to the DR and he told me take some time off... I did and felt WORSE than I did training... my body was just fried. Not too many people get to that point, but knowing your blood work definitely isn't a bad thing! Knowledge-Power

My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [leegoocrap] [ In reply to ]
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Agreed on the knowledge comment. Although my volume is low by ST standards (I could put in more time, I just refuse to) I, like you, have been basically going non-stop since 2011 when I started all of this. I have never taken more than a couple of days off post race, especially over the past 2-3 years. One training plan/race is over and I'm on to the next one at 6 days/week.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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I recently had a panel done as a part of my yearly physical. Everything looked good with the exception of my B12. I was at the lowest level before being seriously deficient. I started a 1000mg daily supplement and feel way better. I'll be rechecked in four months but it is working well in general. It is interesting because i never would have guessed that one. I don't think it hurts any of us with the level of activity we do to have it randomly worked through. Best of luck when yours comes back. Hopefully, all clear!
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [CoachCT] [ In reply to ]
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I got my report back. My cholesterol was high 223 (HDL, LDL, triglycerides were good) so she wants me to halt my casein protein usage (been taking it for a couple of months) and come back for another test in a week. I don't know much about this stuff, but these are a few that I often hear about so they stuck out to me. The normal levels are in parentheses:

Iron: 45 (65-175; this one concerns me!)
Hematocrit: 44.8 (38-48)
Vitamin D: 38 (30-100 optimal)
B-12: 439 (200-1000)

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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Rowan Jones wrote:
I got my report back. My cholesterol was high 223 (HDL, LDL, triglycerides were good) so she wants me to halt my casein protein usage (been taking it for a couple of months) and come back for another test in a week. I don't know much about this stuff, but these are a few that I often hear about so they stuck out to me. The normal levels are in parentheses:

Iron: 45 (65-175; this one concerns me!)
Hematocrit: 44.8 (38-48)
Vitamin D: 38 (30-100 optimal)
B-12: 439 (200-1000)

What is your HDL / LDL ratio? That is what matters more than the overall number... and in fact even the ratio is pretty buggy. Lot of junk science around cholesterol .

Iron is easy, eat more red meat or leafy green stuff.

Vitamin D - weird to be low in the summer as a triathlete, mine is super high from running outside. In the winter I need to take liquid D though...
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [copperman] [ In reply to ]
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My LDL/HDL ratio is 1.28.

Admittedly, I eat chicken probably 10:1 over red meat. I eat a large amount of leafy greens on a daily basis, though. A friend also suggested Ferrochel, but I wouldn't do that unless my doctor signed off on it.

I was surprised by Vitamin D, too. I have only been running this year and am averaging 7-8 hours a week and at least one third of that running is done shirtless in the blazing afternoon sun.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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Rowan Jones wrote:
My LDL/HDL ratio is 1.28.

Admittedly, I eat chicken probably 10:1 over red meat. I eat a large amount of leafy greens on a daily basis, though. A friend also suggested Ferrochel, but I wouldn't do that unless my doctor signed off on it.

I was surprised by Vitamin D, too. I have only been running this year and am averaging 7-8 hours a week and at least one third of that running is done shirtless in the blazing afternoon sun.

How white or not white is your untan skin? Surprising for low D unless you are very dark.
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [copperman] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not ghostly pale or anything, but I'm definitely not dark complected. If I'm not careful the first time or two out in the sun I will burn a bit, but generally put on a decent tan as the summer goes on. There is a very noticeable tan difference on my wrist between where my GPS is and the rest of my arms/upper body.

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [copperman] [ In reply to ]
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Low Vitamin D is surprisingly common in endurance athletes despite their time in the sun. That and Iron are perhaps the two most common deficiencies in athletes.

"Vitamin D is another keen area of interest. Compelling evidence suggests that vitamin D helps reduce inflammation, increase VO2 max, boost immunity, and promote stronger bones. In 2008, when Olympic marathoner Deena Kastor broke her foot at the Beijing Games, it turned out that she had only half the recommended vitamin D levels (normal measures are 35 to 55 nanograms per milliliter). Gibson told me that 80 to 90 percent of the athletes she has screened have turned out to be low in vitamin D, in some cases despite training for hours outdoors (sunscreen blocks vitamin D absorption). She recommends supplements to help bring D levels back up to baseline."

http://www.outsideonline.com/...enters-nutrition-lab

Jordan Jones | Former Pro | Founder/Owner Powder7.com Ski Shop | AthleteBloodTest.com
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [jordanjones] [ In reply to ]
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Ultimately I will leave this up to my doctor, but what is the consensus on supplementing for these deficiencies. Is the Ferrochel that my friend recommended a good option? What about for Vitamin D?

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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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First, calcium inhibits iron absorption, both heme and non-heme. Casein protein, as does most dairy, has lots of calcium.

Second, there isn't a lot of junk science on cholesterol. Your cholesterol is high. The Framingham Heart Study is the gold standard. You can calculate your risk here: http://cvdrisk.nhlbi.nih.gov

One food that tastes great, has lots of iron and B12, and are good for the environment: shellfish. Clams and oysters in particular. Get yourself some olive oil, chilies, garlic, whole wheat pasta, kale, parsley, and two dozens littleneck clams and you've got a great meal.
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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Rowan Jones wrote:
Ultimately I will leave this up to my doctor, but what is the consensus on supplementing for these deficiencies. Is the Ferrochel that my friend recommended a good option? What about for Vitamin D?

sardines, salmon, and sunlight, the three S's will get you the vitamin d
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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I just got my 23andme genetic results back this week - I ran the raw data through geneticgenie to get the 'mutation' report - I've been sick for over 8 months, zero training in that time - what I've learned this week - my B12, methylation and methionine cylces are deficient coz of the mutations:

- mtr a66g homozygous - means got mutation from both parents, so double whammy - impedes use of B12 - my B12 (and folate) blood levels have been abnormal high for over a decade, but its just not getting converted to use in cells - I'm now on daily B12 injections and methylfolate (coz folic acid is synthetic).

I've also got other mutations, heterozygous, so mutation from just one parent including:
- 2 that affect Vitamin D use - so I'm now taking 5000 IU daily
- one that increases homocysteine
- another that increases taurine, ammonia and decreases BH4
and a few more that affect dopamine, glycine.

This knowledge gives me hope that I'll feel better through addressing these issues with supplements - and maybe even get back to training and racing.

Well worth my money.

Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Scotttriguy] [ In reply to ]
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donated blood 2 months ago and was shocked at my iron levels... similar to a 50 yr old woman. Upped the red meat intake and I am back on my game (only reason I was avoiding it is the price)
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Scotttriguy] [ In reply to ]
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Scotttriguy wrote:
I just got my 23andme genetic results back this week - I ran the raw data through geneticgenie to get the 'mutation' report - I've been sick for over 8 months, zero training in that time - what I've learned this week - my B12, methylation and methionine cylces are deficient coz of the mutations:

- mtr a66g homozygous - means got mutation from both parents, so double whammy - impedes use of B12 - my B12 (and folate) blood levels have been abnormal high for over a decade, but its just not getting converted to use in cells - I'm now on daily B12 injections and methylfolate (coz folic acid is synthetic).

I've also got other mutations, heterozygous, so mutation from just one parent including:
- 2 that affect Vitamin D use - so I'm now taking 5000 IU daily
- one that increases homocysteine
- another that increases taurine, ammonia and decreases BH4
and a few more that affect dopamine, glycine.

This knowledge gives me hope that I'll feel better through addressing these issues with supplements - and maybe even get back to training and racing.

Well worth my money.


Don't mean to hijack this thread, but just in case others read your post and start wondering about "genetic testing" - commercially available "gene" tests, like the "23andme" project do not detect disease causing mutations. They detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (common variants in genes at particular locations in the DNA) in a few selected genes, which are known to be present at a certain % in certain populations, and that's how they can tell your ancestry. In particular, the MTRR A66G polymorphism just means that a % of the population is AG, and some are AA and GG. SNP are not mutations that cause disease, they are normal variants present in the population. They MAY be associated with an increased (or decreased) risk of disease or metabolic changes. This risk is modified by many things, such as diet, environmental effects etc and the effects or many other genes among others. Some polymorphisms in some genes are very strongly associated with significant disease risk (for example the risk of Alzheimer's with particular APOE variants) , others (like the MTRR 66AG/AA/GG variants) are of more uncertain link to disease. Hope you feel better soon.

Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.
Last edited by: DrTriKat: Aug 28, 15 22:07
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [DrTriKat] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for properly clarifying my sophomoric explanation - much appreciated.

Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)
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Re: Vitamin Deficiencies And Blood Panels [Rowan Jones] [ In reply to ]
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Rowen,

It was interesting and the test confirmed some things I had already tried, so it kind of quantified my own personal findings. One was Vitamin D, I started taking on my own and felt a lot better (5000IU in winter / 3000 or less in summer) and after my DNAFit test it confirmed that I needed a higher level of V-D. I also found out that I needed a Lot more antioxidants like vitamin A & E plus B6. So the test completed what I need to focuse on. So it took the guess work out of what I really needed. I feel good and recover faster because it also told me I needed to not push so hard during ever session; I have a higher risk of injury and moderate recovery ability. The diet steered me towards a Mediterranean diet and more veggies and fats / olive oil.

To stay healthy and have a long racing career I would highly recommend it. Have fun and good luck!





Spnosored by: World Wide Bearings, DNA Fit, Zola Juices, Hammer Nutrition (15% discount code 221216), , Polydyn, Nikola pedals, Inside Tracker, Aquaman Wetsuits, SRP Custom Graphics, NE Web Design, HED Wheels, Globus EMS, Bont Shoes.
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