Vitamin B12 Test in New Town, Kolkata
At Pure Bliss Healthcare Centre, Action Area 2, New Town.
What the Vitamin B12 Test measures
This test measures the total amount of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in your blood. B12 is needed to make healthy red blood cells and to keep nerves working, and it comes almost entirely from animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and curd. Vegetarians who take little dairy, and vegans, are therefore at higher risk of running low. Absorbing B12 also depends on a protein made in the stomach, so levels can fall with age, with pernicious anaemia, after stomach or bowel surgery, and with long-term use of metformin or acid-reducing medicines. Because the liver holds a large store, deficiency usually develops slowly. It can cause tiredness, pallor and breathlessness from anaemia with large red cells, and tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, unsteady walking, or changes in memory and mood from nerve involvement. Nerve symptoms can appear before anaemia does and may not fully recover if deficiency goes untreated for a long time, which is why doctors test early. A borderline result can be hard to read, and your doctor may then add an active B12 (holotranscobalamin) test or other markers.
Price: the Vitamin B12 Test costs ₹680 at Pure Bliss (MRP ₹850), with the sample collected at our Action Area 2, New Town centre or at your home.
Who this test is for
- Tiredness or pallor, especially with large red cells on a blood count
- Tingling, numbness, balance problems, or memory and mood changes
- Vegetarian or vegan diets, and older adults
- Long-term metformin or acid-reducing medicines, or past stomach or bowel surgery
How to prepare, the sample, and when to expect the report
Preparation
Fasting is not usually required; our team will tell you when booking if the lab prefers a fasting sample. If you take B12 tablets or injections, tell us when you had the last dose, as a recent dose raises the reading. Biotin supplements can interfere with some assays, so mention them too.
Reporting time
Within 24 hours.
Sample
Blood, from a vein in the arm (serum).
Reading the result
Ranges vary by lab; your report shows the lab's reference range next to each value. Results just below or around the lower limit fall into a grey zone, where symptoms and other tests decide what the number means. Ask your doctor to interpret the result.
Centre or home collection NABL-accredited Redcliffe Labs collection centre Most routine reports within 24 hoursHow collection works →
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Vitamin B12 Test — common questions
Booking, preparation and reporting for the Vitamin B12 Test at Action Area 2, New Town.
Is B12 deficiency more likely if I am vegetarian?
Yes. B12 comes mainly from animal foods, so people who eat little or no dairy, eggs, meat or fish are at higher risk. Your doctor may suggest testing even without symptoms.
What is the difference between this test and active B12?
This test measures all the B12 in the blood. Active B12 (holotranscobalamin) measures only the part that cells can take up. Doctors usually start with total B12 and add active B12 when the result is borderline or does not fit the symptoms.
Can metformin lower my B12?
Long-term metformin use is linked with lower B12 levels, so doctors often check B12 from time to time in people taking it. Do not stop metformin on your own; discuss the result with your doctor.