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Clinic appointment

Vitamin B Check

Six B vitamins measured directly in the blood, including red-cell folate and the active form of B12.

  • Doctor-reviewed results
  • Laboratory analysis
  • 3 to 5 working days from lab receipt
  • No fasting required
Vitamin B Check, clinic sample tubes

What’s included

6 markers measured

  • Vitamin B1 (thiamine)

    Thiamin (vitamin B1), a B vitamin the body needs to release energy from food and to keep the nervous system healthy. It is found in many foods, and most people can get all they need from their daily diet.

  • Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

    Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a B vitamin that helps the body release energy from food and keeps skin, eyes and the nervous system healthy. It is found in foods such as milk, eggs and mushrooms. The body cannot store it, so it is needed in the diet every day.

  • Vitamin B3 (nicotinamide)

    Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 used throughout the body in enzyme reactions and energy production.

  • Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

    Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, helps the body get and store energy from the protein and carbohydrate we eat, and helps it make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Very high supplement doses can cause numbness in the arms and legs (peripheral neuropathy).

  • Red-cell folate

    Folate measured inside red blood cells. It may be checked when folate deficiency is strongly suspected but the standard blood folate level is normal, once vitamin B12 deficiency has been ruled out. A low result fits with folate deficiency if B12 is not also low.

  • Active vitamin B12

    The part of your vitamin B12 that your cells can actually use. B12 supports nerves and red blood cells. UK guidance accepts either active or total B12 as a first test, and recent supplements or injections can raise the result without fully treating a deficiency.

Overview

Six B vitamins measured directly in the blood: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6, red-cell folate and active B12. None of our general health checks include these. People usually come to it for a specific reason: a long-term restricted diet, a gut condition or surgery that affects absorption, regular heavy drinking, or tiredness and nerve symptoms that a standard panel has not explained. It is a specialist test, priced accordingly, and it answers a narrower question than a general health check.

The B vitamins are involved in how the body releases energy from food and in nerve health; measuring them can help a doctor understand a picture of tiredness or a restricted diet.

Who this is for and who it isn’t

Who it’s for

  • Adults aged 18 and over
  • People on vegan or restricted diets
  • Anyone with tiredness, pins and needles or mouth ulcers whose routine tests were normal

Who it isn’t for

  • This is not a general health check. If you want a broad annual baseline covering your liver, kidneys, cholesterol, blood count and thyroid, one of the well person panels is a sensible starting point and costs less. It is also not the right first test for tiredness on its own: iron stores, thyroid and a blood count are common first checks, and are covered by lower-priced panels.
  • If you are already taking a B-complex supplement your levels may reflect the supplement rather than your diet, so talk to your GP about whether stopping it before testing makes sense for you.
  • Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.

Common reasons people choose this test

  • Tiredness that has not improved with rest
  • Pins and needles, numbness or burning in the hands or feet
  • Mouth ulcers, a sore tongue or cracks at the corners of the mouth
  • Poor concentration or low mood alongside a restricted diet
  • Following a vegan or very limited diet without supplements
  • A gut condition, coeliac disease, or surgery affecting absorption

These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.

What your result looks like

Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.

Example reportIllustrative, not a real result
  • Vitamin B1 (thiamine)In range
    Result
    110 nmol/L
    Range
    66–200
  • Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
    Result
    n/a
    Range
    on your report
  • Red-cell folate▼ Low
    Result
    250 nmol/L
    Range
    >340

Doctor’s note (example)

Red cell folate is low, which reflects the last few months of intake. A clinician may discuss whether a short course of folic acid is needed, and how diet can help keep it up.

…and 3 more markers. Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.

How it works

  1. You book your appointmentA trained clinician takes your sample at one of our London clinics. Nothing to do at home.
  2. The clinician takes your sampleA single clinic blood draw by a trained clinician
  3. The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 3 to 5 working days from receipt of your sample.
  4. A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
Sample
Clinic blood draw
Preparation
No fasting required
Who it's for
Any sex · ages 18+

How to prepare

What we can and can’t tell you

The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.

Read the full note

The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.

Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.

If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this cost so much more than the general panels?

Each B vitamin here is a separate specialist test rather than part of the high-volume profiles that general health checks are built from. That is why a much longer list of general markers can cost less.

Should I stop my supplements before the test?

That is a decision for you and your GP, and it depends on why you are testing. If you take a B-complex, the result may largely show what is in the tablet. If you want to know how your diet alone is doing, that conversation is worth having before you book. We do not give individual advice on stopping any supplement or medicine.

Does this include vitamin B12 and folate?

It includes active vitamin B12 (holotranscobalamin) and red-cell folate, which reflects your folate over a longer period than a single meal. It does not include vitamin D, iron or the trace minerals.

What if a result comes back low?

The report will say which result is outside the laboratory's range and by how much, and the reviewing doctor will explain what that usually reflects. What to do about it is a conversation with your own GP, who can look at it alongside your diet, symptoms and any medicines you take.

How long do results take?

The laboratory typically takes 3 to 5 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.

Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?

This test is a clinic blood draw, as it needs a venous sample for accuracy. We arrange a convenient appointment for you.

Is a doctor involved?

Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.

Is it confidential?

Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.

What happens to my sample and results?

Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.

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