QUESTION: Should I be concerned about high levels of B12 in bloodwork?
ANSWER: When you see blood results that flag high for B12, you want to consider a couple of points:
First, was the sample on a long enough “supplement fast” (48-72 hr minimum) to be a ‘real’ number?
Next, which isomers of B12 are you seeing? You can’t tell from the test; often the liver will dump nonfunctional cobalamins which make the test high, but meaningless. All that considered, if B12 is actually high then you need to consider hypermethylation, rebound B-Vit imbalances, cancer and a bunch of other related issues with a *real* elevated B12. Those issues can be assessed by looking at the patients other nutrient intake as well as their symptoms. Additionally, most all “B-12 toxicity” symptoms are not from the B12 but rather collateral B-vit imbalances and biological effects of those (and if the SNP’s are right, even worse).
PS: The B12 elevation – cancer link is NOT from the B12, it is an effect of the cancer on the liver and it dumping nonfunctional cobalamins…