This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Had a set of blood test results today which would appear to show Im on the right track (Thanks Jimmylegs ).

Vitamin D - 88.9ng/ml / 222nmol/L

Uric Acid - 7 mg/dl

B12 - 963 pg/ml

Zinc 0.89 mg/dl

Mg - 2 mg/dl


My Eosinophil count was 14%! - undoubtably thanks to the 70 odd hookworm that I am resident to

Are you sure that your zinc number is correct with the correct units? When I convert 0.89 mg/dL to µmol/L I get 136 which is a bit high! Jimmylegs cites a number around 18.2 µmol/L as being ideal.


NHE

I had to hand write the results down as they were on the docs computer and he couldn't print it out. The database is SAP (Son of a pig) so naturally the specific reference ranges were not visible.

Doc said result was good - can anyone confirm what reference range '0.89' zinc would fall within?

Edit; I think it is 0.89mg/L

Always carry your camera; when someone tells me he can't print I make a picture of the screen

Camera has been proven (for me) to be an incredibly valuable weapon of persuasion...

OK. mg/L makes more sense. That would decrease the number by a factor of 10 bringing it to 13.6 µmol/L which is a more reasonable number.

By the way, your vitamin D3 results look a little high. If I remember correctly, Jimmylegs usually states that a good target is 150 nmol/L with a max at 250 nmol/L where hypercalcemia can occur.


NHE

I had been out in the sun quite a bit (Im in Saudi Arabia). I reckon my average D3 intake per day from supplements is about 10,000iu. On top of that I eat quite a lot of oily fish plus sun exposure.

I think what I shall do is knock about 1000iu off my daily intake although as winter sets in here much less sun exposure.

heya, here goes:

vit d3 - 220 nmol/L - getting to the top end of the safe range, careful...

uric acid - 7 * 59.48 = 416 umol/L = high. above 360=gout risk zone. still taking inosine?

b12 - very good

zinc .89 mg/dl = 89 ug/dl * 0.153 = 13.6 = low normal. 'reference range' in literature is 11.5-18.5 umol/L, but that just takes levels from the whole population sick and healthy and divides them up into quintiles or such, and that provides the normal range/bell curve. healthy controls occupy the very upper end of that range ie a tight average around 18.2 - 18.4 umol/L.

i'd think twice about taking zinc when uric acid is high. i don't have any science about supplemental zinc effects on high serum UA.
once the uric acid level is down in the healthy range 290-300 or a bit lower, then start working on getting zinc up to the 18 umol/L neck of the woods.

mg - 2 mg/dl * .411 = .822 mmol/L = low normal. aim for at least .90 mmol/L, but go no higher than 1.10 mmol/L.

hth!

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Thanks Jimmy Legs

Overall I was pleased with the results as I was not off the scale anywhere so heres the plan.

Vit D - A moderate reduction in intake. I shall try and average about 7000iu a day. However this test was at the end of the Middle East sunbathing season so I would expect it to be high.

Uric Acid. I was taking 500mg of inosine a day. I am going to drop this but keep a supply for use in the event of an attack. To date I have not had any gout like symptoms and my uric acid has been as high as 8.3 (when on the sardine diet )

B12 - fine and will just stick with MV plus relatively low strength B Complex & B12 most days.

Zinc - As I am low normal I think I need to revise intake. I take 25mg EOD plus 15mg in the MV. Going to go for 25mg daily.

hi yep they mostly are okay just a few tweaks needed.

good idea re dumping inosine - will allow you to improve zinc status without placing yourself at increased risk of gout related troubles. (not that i know how gout risk factors are affected when uric acid is boosted with inosine, as opposed to diet - by the way, glad you did not have problems before with the sardine deal etc!)

pls note that an improvement in zinc status (and magnesium status, not to mention calcium if you're taking any) should increase your absorption of vit d3. others here can vouch for this effect.

so, if you double your daily zinc. i'd reduce daily d3 more than going down to 7000IU. were you at 10,000IU/d? perhaps consider dropping to 5000IU/d (or less) for the time being while you normalize zinc and mag. then if needed, bump the d3 intake back up slowly, to help you figure out your new dose response to oral vit d3 and establish a new maintenance intake.

also: how much daily magnesium have you been taking to date? and do you have a lot of magnesium rich foods in your diet? i know i have personally felt the magnesium deficit even when levels are around .88 mmol/L, so close to the cutoff but still noticeable.

all in all looks like you're on a pretty decent track. how are you doing overall?

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Hi - thanks as always and Merry Xmas

I get 100mg of calcium a day through MV but otherwise its from diet. I was surprised my zinc was low side of normal as I get 15mg min a day and more often 40mg.

On the Vit D front I have 10K capsules and 5K capsules. WHat I 'll do is drop to 2 x10 and 5x5 weekly - about 6400iu a day.

Magnesium - 400-700mg of Mag Oxide a day. In February when back in Uk will switch to Citrate. I think my diet is reasonably rich in Mg.

Overall doing very well. Any problems are more stress related (shitty Saudi Employer) which is coming to an end soon. As well as supplements Im on hookworm. Coming off Rebif end of February so that is the big test and worries me a little. That said Rebif makes me feel like crap so I will be relieved to see the back of that. The way I se rebif is that it was useful in holding immune system at bay whilst diet / supplement regimen sorted out. Now it is time to go au naturale!

hi no worries and merry xmas back atcha

sounds poss a bit low on the calcium side - have you done an assessment on how many mg you get from diet? www.nutritiondata.com has a very useful calculation tool, FYI

as for the zinc - if you are consuming gluten and/or phytates you can expect a more serious effect on zinc resources than if you minimize such foods, or process to minimize anti-nutrient impacts. of course if you are pregnant ( i joke! ) that's also a major zinc drain.

as for vit d3, sounds good but do be careful - if absorption kicks into high gear you can expect a pretty dramatic jump in the serum levels. stay safe!

magnesium - i don't know how you do it, that much a day using mag oxide. i would melt. but it makes sense that is why your levels aren't so high, due to relatively poor absorption from that form. no chance of finding magnesium glycinate anywhere? as for diet, if you haven't already, you can check this out for good food sources too: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... nt&dbid=75

stress will cause a magnesium drain, so do keep up the good work in that dept and see if you can bump up that serum level further, if at all humanly possible.

i am not sure what impacts if any the hookworm regimen might have on absorption and/or bioavailability of supplements, but based on the bloodwork does not seem to be doing any harm! good luck coming off rebif - sorry i cannot offer advice bc i only got as far as receiving the info kit... then i changed my mind and cancelled the appt before the nurse came! good luck going au naturel hope it's worthwhile for ya! at the very least not having to deal with post-injection sickness will be a plus! take care

jimmylegs

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Calcium I reckon on about 850mg minimum a day from dietary sources.

Cereals - usually just some porridge oats for breakfast. Im not wheat free but keep it to a minimum.

The Magnesium does leave me a bit loose which is why Im switching to Citrate - I have some back in the UK but not back until early February. In the meantime will just use the MgO that I have.

okay calcium sounds pretty decent.

not sure how much you've read on the phytate debate regarding grains and legumes? some say the impact on absorption of diverse minerals is significant, others disagree. might be worthwhile to read a bunch and decide if there are any dietary/preparation changes worth making. i've seen some people say yes, absorption is impaired but eat the food anyway for what benefit it does provide, i've seen others say that soaking really makes an impressive difference in the amount of phytic acid content. and then there's the thought that phytic acid is beneficial in its own right. i don't know!

until you can get your hands on some magnesium glycinate, try to maximize dietary sources - they will absorb much better (assuming reasonable dietary amounts of phytate in the mix) than mag oxide or citrate!

good luck with it all, you're certainly on the right track

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Whoops - I ordered some Mag Citrate thinking this was the type with better availability. To be honest I do ok on 600mg of MgO so its not a major issue which type I use.

Like I said I'm doing very well right now. Will be coming off the Rebif at the end of February so that will be interesting and slightly unnerving to say the least.

Thanks again and Happy New Year