OmegaQuant launches new vitamin B12 test

OmegaQuant's new Vitamin B12 Test

OmegaQuant (Sioux Falls, SD) has launched a new vitamin B12 test, with a sample collection kit that allows for at-home testing. The test measures a substance called methymalonic acid (MMA) in the urine to accurately detect low B12 status. The more MMA you have, the more likely you are to be low in B12. Test results are reported in specific units – mmol MMA/mol creatine – with the optimal result being blow 2.0 mmol MMA/mol creatine. Above 3.8 mmol MMA/mol creatine would indicate that one’s vitamin B12 status is very low. A true deficiency should then be confirmed with further testing and consultation with one’s healthcare provider.

Vitamin B12 serves many important functions in the body, such as supporting red blood cell production, nerve function, cognitive health, and heart health. Food sources for B12 are only found in animal products, therefore vegans and vegetarians are predisposed to have lower B12 intakes. Other at-risk populations include diabetics taking Meformin and those who have undergone bariatric surgery, as well as pregnant women who need higher quantities of the vitamin during pregnancy. According to Harvard Health, vitamin B12 deficiencies can be insidious because people are often unaware until they are critically low and develop major health issues such as jaundice, joint pain, depression, memory loss, incontinence, and shortness of breath.

OmegaQuant’s Vitamin B12 test differs from its other tests in that it requires a urine sample instead of blood. The device that comes with the kit allows for safe, easy, and seamless sample collection that can be simply mailed back to the lab where it is analyzed. Results can take about three to five days to receive.

"Vitamin B12 is an incredibly important nutrient for people of all ages. And knowing your status early on can help you avoid major health issues down the road," said Kristina Harris Jackson, director of research at OmegaQuant, in a press release. "Our goal at OmegaQuant is to give consumers safe, easy tools that can help them approach their nutrition with a bit more precision. Our new Vitamin B12 test is the latest tool in our toolbox."