I started taking a multivitamin as insurance and then found out that two of the things I was actually short of were the two it barely contains.
What I actually want to know is which deficiencies actually show up when intake drops this far, and which are worth testing rather than supplementing blind.
If the honest answer is that nobody knows, that is a useful answer and I would rather have it.
PharmHunterJen said:I started taking a multivitamin as insurance and then found out that two of the things I was actually short of were the two it barely contains.
Vitamin and mineral labs to check while on micronutrients — my doctor orders these quarterly:
- B12: Can drop due to reduced GI absorption. Mine went from 650 to 380 — now supplementing.
- Iron/Ferritin: Reduced food intake = reduced iron. Ferritin dropped from 63 to 30. Supplementing.
- Vitamin D: Was already low (18 ng/mL), now taking 5000 IU daily.
- Folate: Stable, no issues.
- Zinc: Slightly low, added a multivitamin with zinc.
Nutritional deficiencies are a real risk when you're eating significantly less. Don't skip your labs!
BethLabQueen said:Vitamin and mineral labs to check while on micronutrients — my doctor orders these quarterly: B12: Can drop due to reduced GI absorption.
Blood count monitoring for micronutrients: my doctor noticed my MCV (mean corpuscular volume) trending up at month 6: 91 → 96 fL. This flagged potential B12 or folate deficiency.
Sure enough, B12 had dropped from 620 to 340 pg/mL. Started B12 injections monthly and MCV normalized within 2 months. GLP-1 agonists can impair B12 absorption — this is a real clinical concern that deserves routine monitoring.
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View ResultsPharmHunterJen said:I started taking a multivitamin as insurance and then found out that two of the things I was actually short of were the two it barely contains.
Can confirm. Same sequence, different timescale. The detail I would add is minor and it is already implied above.
Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.
Iron studies on micronutrients — important especially for women:
| Marker | Baseline | Month 6 | After Supplementation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferritin | 69 | 27 | 59 |
| Iron | 99 | 64 | 97 |
| TIBC | 339 | 409 | 349 |
| Transferrin Sat | 35% | 19% | 30% |
My ferritin cratered at month 6 from reduced dietary intake. Iron bisglycinate 36mg with vitamin C brought it back up. Don't wait for anemia symptoms — test proactively.