Vitamin B12 (B12)

Water-soluble vitamin needed for nerve function, DNA, and red cell production.

Units

pg/mL

Reference (Male)

200 – 900 pg/mL

Reference (Female)

200 – 900 pg/mL

Aliases

Cobalamin

What it measures

Water-soluble vitamin needed for nerve function, DNA, and red cell production.

What a high value can mean

Supplementation, liver disease, myeloproliferative disorders.

What a low value can mean

Pernicious anemia, vegan/vegetarian diet, metformin/PPI use, ileal disease, age > 60.

Conditions it helps assess

Anemia
Neuropathy
Cognitive decline

Reading these numbers in context

Reference ranges describe the central 95 % of a healthy reference population — 5 % of perfectly healthy people fall outside any given range by definition. A single mildly abnormal value is rarely meaningful on its own. blood-test.life always interprets values together with related biomarkers before flagging.

Related biomarkers in Vitamins & Minerals

25-Hydroxy Vitamin D 25-OH D Best marker of vitamin D status. Deficiency is one of the most common findings in modern lab panels. Folate B9 B-vitamin essential for DNA synthesis. Critical in pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects.