Purehealth News
Are your blood results really 'normal?' Which nuts should you snack on? And which probiotic might help best with bloating? Enjoy x
Hi everyone, I’m on time this week - yay! Getting more organised for you, at last. No dilly-dallying; let’s get straight to this week’s posts.
Have a great week, and enjoy this issue… don’t forget to catch up on my more frequent little titbit Notes here.
Subscriber Question: Are your blood results really ‘normal’?
I’m asking every new paid subscriber if they want me to cover anything in particular or look into something and I’ll share the answer here for you. I’m sort of thinking I might collate them at some point into a Q&A type book. I’ve got lots to work on - I love me a bit of research, as you know!
So, this week’s question is from E. I recently discovered that the tests I had on the NHS including vitamin D, ferritin, folate and B12 that all said optimal we’re not actually optimal at all. Do I take a multi or do I take individual supplements to get me up to optimal?
Honestly, don’t get me started on this. OK, do! It drives me batty. I must say several times a week: ‘Yes, but let me see your blood results and I’ll tell you if I think they’re normal! They usually aren’t. This is why I started the section in the A-Z on vitamins and minerals, which you can see here. I am gradually adding to them, but I began with the ones that I find are issues most often for you - Vitamin D is the most common.
So, let’s take those one at a time.
Tip: this is why it is useful to do tests that give you a sort of visual scale and determine optimal scores rather than average population scores. Like this - taken from the Omnos Wellness 360. So, look for those if you can.
Vitamin D. I like it to be 120-160nmol/50-80ng/ml. The official ‘normal’ is a LOT lower than this. On the Vitamin D factsheet, I go into a lot more detail on this, so go and have a read.
In general, 1000iu of Vitamin D in a supplement will help to raise the nmol by about 7-10 points. For example, to get from 56 to 120, the person would need to take about 6-7000iu per day and then retest after about 2 months, do you see? You don’t want to go too high with Vitamin D, so do test regularly.
You won’t generally get enough Vitamin D in a multi to make a real difference unless you only need 1-2000iu Vitamin D, so often you need to take a separate Vitamin D supplement.
Check the factsheet out for recommended good absorbable ones and for which to go for if taking it specifically for bone health.
Ferritin. See the Anaemia factsheet. Usually, the best way to check ferritin is combined with an inflammation check because inflammation can make ferritin look higher than it actually is. In other words, if you are inflamed in some way, ferritin could look high, but you might still be low in cells and tissues. ESR or CRP on your blood results show inflammation levels. Very often, they are not done, though.
In general, for me, if ferritin is below 70 and the ESR/CRP inflammation marker is OK, you could still need iron supplementation. Transferrin saturation should be about 35-45% so any lower than that can still suggest an issue.
Tip: if your ferritin is less than 50, it can affect how well you convert inactive T4 thyroid hormone to the active T3 form. Also, if it is less than 70, it could be the cause of any hair loss.
Folate. I’ve done a whole factsheet on folate, so do read that. In essence, serum folate - which is likely what you will be tested with - can be very misleading as it gives a snapshot. It also depends when you last ate - it needs to be a fasting sample. I prefer red cell folate because it gives a more long-term view of levels within cells rather than the snapshot from serum. Dr Dicken Wetherby, whose work in this field I rate says he works on:
Standard Range: 5.50 - 27.00 ng/mL (12.46 – 61.18 nmol/L)
The ODX Range (his optimal range): 15.00 – 27.00 ng/mL (33.99 – 61.18 nmol/L)
The other way of testing is using a functional marker called Formiminoglutamic Acid (FIGlu), which has been used to determine folate deficiency since the 50s. You can get that sort of testing using Genova’s Metabolomix or done separately.
Vitamin B12. Again, a little bit on this on the Anaemia factsheet above. Essentially, this will normally be tested in serum, but I find it very misleading. There are four stages of B12 deficiency and serum B12 doesn’t go out of range until stage three or four.
You can use functional markers such as homocysteine and MMA (methylmalonic acid), found in Genova’s Metabolomix test, as above with FIGlu, which will find people in stage 2 deficiency usually. But I prefer active B12 - also called holoTC (holotranscobalamin), which will pick up even stage 1.
Dicken Wetherby again on what you should be aiming for - he recommends you investigate further:
Serum B12: if below 545 pg/mL or 402.01 pmol/L, or persistently elevated over time.
Active B12 (HoloTC): if holotranscobalamin 25-70 pmol/L
Tip: People often present me with high serum B12 results and yet they clearly have B12 deficiency symptoms. If you’re not taking B12 supplements causing the rise, then it is very likely you have what is termed a ‘functional' deficiency’ of B12 ie. it’s high in blood, but not being absorbed or utilised in cells and tissues for some reason. Investigate and maybe trial taking more B12, see how you feel.
Magnesium. I’ve included magnesium as it’s one that really bugs me. Read that Magnesium factsheet for much more on this subject. Magnesium deficiency often goes undiagnosed because they are testing serum, which doesn’t show you what the true intracellular level is. This is why I always recommend red cell magnesium.
Morley Robbins, a magnesium researcher, suggests you are very likely magnesium deficient if your scores are below 6mg/dl or less than 2.46mmol/L.
Now, on the question of how to correct issues. It is always best, IMHO, to take a multi and then top up as needed so that you have all the co-factors required - nutrients work antagonistically and synergistically; it’s a true minefield but GOOD multis will have done the work for you. I’ve put some of my favourite multis on the Wellbeing Protocol for you here. Please don’t take cheap multis - you might as well flush them down the loo for all the good they’ll do you - usually poor non-absorbable forms. If it’s cheap, be wary.
With the B vitamins, they all tend to work together, which is why they are called a complex, so take a multi with a B Complex in it and then top up with folate or B12 as needed. See the factsheets for specific recommendations.
With magnesium, it is a big molecule so that and calcium are often left out of multis or only a little bit is included because otherwise it would be the size of a horse pill! My advice is always to take balanced ratio magnesium to calcium supplement if you can because they act synergistically ie. you need both and taking one will suppress the other.
Most people think you need more calcium than magnesium, but that is not true. You often can’t process a lot of calcium unless you have enough magnesium; you just dump it as stones and stiff muscles. If you need more calcium, you could have a 1:1 supplement. This is the one I give P usually.
There are so many different forms of magnesium (and calcium actually), so choose the right one for what you are trying to correct. See the Magnesium factsheet for loads more on what type does what, how much to take etc. If in doubt, go for a mix like this.
Tip: if you are taking calcium for bone health, use the hydroxyapatite form. No-one has ever heard of it, but it’s the most absorbable type for the bone matrix. I mentioned it in the post surgery stuff I wrote about a few issues ago. Like this, for example. Or a bone formula as your multi, like this.
OK, hope that helps - lot more, obviously, but those are the ones I was asked about, plus a bonus couple of other tips!
If you have a burning question, subscribe and I’ll get to it asap for you!
Which nuts should you snack on?
I saw this tip in WDDTY the other day, which I thought could be useful. You can read their full piece on nuts here.
Most nuts are high in calories, so if you’re calorie-counting, eat peanuts and pistachios, which have lower levels, while hazelnuts and almonds have less saturated fat. By comparison, macadamia nuts have the most calories, and Brazil nuts have the most saturated fats.
There you go. I do eat pistachios a lot myself, and ground almonds for baking, with a few Brazil nuts every day for selenium levels. And I love walnuts too - good for the brain, which you can tell from the shape!
Try this nutty granola recipe this week for breakfast or lunch. I often eat this kind of thing for lunch, to be honest.
Personally, I would cut that sugar down, maybe use raw honey or black strap molasses for the extra iron and leave the oats out, but oats are great if you can have them. I sometimes toss the nuts and seeds in ground almonds as I don’t have oats and it makes kind of crunchy yummy bits.
Try this probiotic type if others make you bloat
I know a few of you suffer with bloating and digestive issues that get worse with normal acidophilus and bifido probiotics whenever we’ve tried them. So, I was interested to see this article about Bacillus Coagulans from Chris Kresser the other day. As he explains:
If you've struggled with sensitive digestion or haven't been able to tolerate traditional probiotics, Bacillus coagulans deserves your attention. Unlike conventional probiotics that are easily destroyed by stomach acid, this unique spore-forming bacterium survives the harsh journey to your intestines, where it can effectively support gut health. In my clinical practice, I've seen remarkable results with patients who previously couldn't tolerate Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium strains due to bloating and discomfort. Research shows B. coagulans offers impressive benefits for IBS management, enhances nutrient absorption, supports mental health through the gut-brain axis, and even helps maintain immune function. Its transient nature means it doesn't permanently colonize your gut—it simply provides beneficial support and then naturally leaves your system within about a week.
I’ve not tried it myself or clinically except in IBS type products, but maybe worth a go. There used to be some safety concern about colonising probiotics like this, but I see he addresses those in the article. I suspect the concerns were based on outdated info. I was certainly cautious myself in the early days. I am a deliberate late-adopter of things, as you know. I like to see how things pan out before I recommend them.
In case it helps, I found this one that includes the same strain as Chris talks about. Moss Nutrition also does one here.
And finally…this week, I have been listening to this podcast which makes me laugh. I have it on on YouTube actually whilst I’m cooking. They make a good pairing. I’m still watching White Lotus - and thanks to those of you who emailed to say they are in Thailand and not Vietnam as I said last week - just checking you’re listening! Not enjoying it as much as the last two series, it must be said but a beautiful watch all the same. And P bought me two of these, which I need to plant up when the rain stops! Winniecat will be pleased as they attract bees. She loves to watch them buzzing about - but she can’t get at them through the veranda glass, thankfully!
OK, that’s it for this issue, peeps. I hope you found something useful there. Please leave this post a ❤️ and restack/share if you liked it - it helps with visibility.
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Issue 9, April 2025