Elevated Levels Of Thiamine(B1) And B6 Without Supplementation Cause?

[HChpalley]

So I had some blood work done and apparently my Thiamin (Vitamin B1) and vitamin B6 levels were elevated. My doc wondered if I had been taking supplements of any kind and wondered if I was experiencing B6 overdosing symptoms like neuropathy, etc. I’m not experiencing any symptoms atm. The interesting part of the story is as follows: I don’t take any supplements or vitamins and I’m experiencing multiple symptoms that actually hint to a B6 deficiency, like: severe seborrheic dermatitis around my nose, in my eyebrows(with eyebrow hair loss) and on my scalp, dry cracked lips, rash, low energy, mood changes, lowered immune system function, diffuse hair loss, etc...

I read somewhere that high blood B6 can be due to a problem with the MTHFR gene?
Does someone have a clue what’s going with regard to the elevated B1 and B6? My lab B3 and B12 were within the ‘normal’ range btw.

All suggestions are highly appreciated :)

 

[methylenewhite]

So I had some blood work done and apparently my Thiamin (Vitamin B1) and vitamin B6 levels were elevated. My doc wondered if I had been taking supplements of any kind and wondered if I was experiencing B6 overdosing symptoms like neuropathy, etc. I’m not experiencing any symptoms atm. The interesting part of the story is as follows: I don’t take any supplements or vitamins and I’m experiencing multiple symptoms that actually hint to a B6 deficiency, like: severe seborrheic dermatitis around my nose, in my eyebrows(with eyebrow hair loss) and on my scalp, dry cracked lips, rash, low energy, mood changes, lowered immune system function, diffuse hair loss, etc...

I read somewhere that high blood B6 can be due to a problem with the MTHFR gene?
Does someone have a clue what’s going with regard to the elevated B1 and B6? My lab B3 and B12 were within the ‘normal’ range btw.

All suggestions are highly appreciated :)

Many sources claim blood levels of vits do not represent intracellular levels. I would guess probably some utilization problem here.
Would you mind share actual results? Could be just reference value issues.

 

[Steven Bussinger]

I think that blood values of B vitamins are not great indicators of their status in your body. They don't hang out indefinitely in the blood; they're not stored there. In fact, I've started evaluating most things that appear in the blood as things that are currently required somewhere across the body. So these B vitamins are being mobilized to respond to something.

To me, your symptoms seem like you need B2.

Most of the B vitamins are required for the usage of other B vitamins. Perhaps your body is having difficulty using B1 and B6. You have elevated blood levels of B1 and B6; the body is responding by sending higher quantities of these in order to force them in. If you take B2, perhaps you won't need such high blood levels of B1 and B6.

 

[HChpalley]

Many sources claim blood levels of vits do not represent intracellular levels. I would guess probably some utilization problem here.
Would you mind share actual results? Could be just reference value issues.

Thanks for your input man. What could be the reason for my body having difficulty utilising them? Could being hypothyroid be the cause or not at all?

Concerning the B-vitamins my labs were:
B1: 146 (ref. 70-140)
B6: 126 (ref. 35-110)
B3: 28 (ref. 20-50)
Total B12: 315 (ref. 145-637)

 

[HChpalley]

I think that blood values of B vitamins are not great indicators of their status in your body. They don't hang out indefinitely in the blood; they're not stored there. In fact, I've started evaluating most things that appear in the blood as things that are currently required somewhere across the body. So these B vitamins are being mobilized to respond to something.

To me, your symptoms seem like you need B2.

Most of the B vitamins are required for the usage of other B vitamins. Perhaps your body is having difficulty using B1 and B6. You have elevated blood levels of B1 and B6; the body is responding by sending higher quantities of these in order to force them in. If you take B2, perhaps you won't need such high blood levels of B1 and B6.

Thanks for your input! Very interesting. I hadn't thought of B2 before u mentioning it. So B2 would help with the usage of the other B-vitamins, is that what you propose? I read that B2 helps B6 convert to P5P for example. I'll up my B2 by supplementating with 10mg B2(riboflavine-5-fosfate) and see if that has any effect.

 

[methylenewhite]

Thanks for your input man. What could be the reason for my body having difficulty utilising them? Could being hypothyroid be the cause or not at all?

Concerning the B-vitamins my labs were:
B1: 146 (ref. 70-140)
B6: 126 (ref. 35-110)
B3: 28 (ref. 20-50)
Total B12: 315 (ref. 145-637)

I guess those values are nmol/L right?
If it's nmol/l units your b1 is totally ok and it's a reference values of a particular lab issues, because like stated here its in range Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Reference Range, Interpretation, Collection and Panels
"In whole blood, the reference range of vitamin B1 (thiamine) is 2.5-7.5 μg/dL, or 74-222 nmol/L."

The same issue is in b6.
"Many hospitals in the Netherlands use 51-183 nmol/L as the reference values for vitamin B blood levels."
Vitamin B6 in health supplements and neuropathy


I'm not a doctor nor biochemist, it's not a medical advise. I say those values are totally ok. When you said it's high I thought it's like 3+ times above reference values. Anyways if you feel it being a significant elevation there is a study of b6 for you to make a clue.

Direct and Functional Biomarkers of Vitamin B6 Status
Abstract
Measures of B6 status are categorized as direct biomarkers and as functional biomarkers. Direct biomarkers measure B6 vitamers in plasma/serum, urine and erythrocytes, and among these plasma pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP) is most commonly used. Functional biomarkers include erythrocyte transaminase activities and more recently plasma levels of metabolites involved in PLP-dependent reactions, such as the kynurenine pathway, one-carbon metabolism, transsulfuration (cystathionine), and glycine decarboxylation (serine and glycine). Vitamin B6 status is best assessed by using a combination of biomarkers because of the influence of potential confounders, such as inflammation, alkaline phosphatase activity, low serum albumin, renal function and inorganic phosphate. Ratios between substrate-products pairs have recently been investigated as a strategy to attenuate such influence. These efforts have provided promising new markers such as the PAr index, the 3-hydroxykynurenine/xanthurenic acid ratio and the oxoglutarate:glutamate ratio. Targeted metabolic profiling or untargeted metabolomics based on mass spectrometry allow the simultaneous quantification of a large number of metabolites, which are currently evaluated as functional biomarkers, using data reduction statistics.

 

[baccheion]

Low alkaline phosphatase?

Profile of asfotase alfa in the treatment of hypophosphatasia: design, development, and place in therapy