BIOTIN ALERT – POTENTIAL ASSAY INTERFERENCE

[DCUKMod]

If you take supplements, it could be worthwhile checking your product’s formulation, if it includes any of the B-complex vitamins, and in particular Vitamin B7 (D-Biotin).

Individual supplementing with B7 may find certain blood test results throw up some unexpected or confounding results. In order to avoid this, individuals should not take B7 supplements for a period of days, prior to having blood drawn. Views on the period between supplements appears to vary from 48 hours to 7 days.

The following article outlines the issue in more detail: https://www.exeterlaboratory.com/biotin-alert-potential-assay-interference/

The list at the end of the article is in the posted image.

Whilst I am acutely aware this doesn't necessarily impact on testing for diabetes diagnosis or monitring, many of us have associated conditions, whether auto-immune or not, and many of us supplement with one thing or another, and can often resort to personally funded blood tests.

Edited to make the image visible.

Edited to add, for completeness, these are my comparative tests, with and without Biotin supplements. As noted, further down in the thread, there are no specific diabetes related tests in this panel, but they do show the impact.

Where there are 2 assays, the second, ending in * is the Medichecks metric. The blue column is with Biotin, the far right is without.

(I know that's not an ideal image, but I'm trying to use my consolidated data.)

 

[Rachox]

Thanks for posting this. I’ve just checked my vitamin B complex and it does contain vitamin B 7, however it is only the recommended dose so I think I’m ok

 

[Krystyna23040]

@DCUKMod an interesting article. My usual Bs have quite high biotin at 300ug - I ran out a month ago and the replacement Bs only have biotin at 50ug.

I read your post and decided to err on the side caution and stop the Bs altogether 4 days before my blood test even though the biotin in the new Bs is much lower. My Hba1c is usually between 42 and 44 even though I spend a huge part of the day in the 5s. Just got hba1c results and it is 36 - much lower than it has ever been.

Of course this could just be a coincidence as the hba1c is a completely different test from the ones mentioned in your attachment. On the other hand - maybe it isn't a coincidence. Of course I will never know.

 

[Rachox]

@DCUKMod an interesting article. My usual Bs have quite high biotin at 300ug - I ran out a month ago and the replacement Bs only have biotin at 50ug.

I read your post and decided to err on the side caution and stop the Bs altogether 4 days before my blood test even though the biotin in the new Bs is much lower. My Hba1c is usually between 42 and 44 even though I spend a huge part of the day in the 5s. Just got hba1c results and it is 36 - much lower than it has ever been.

Of course this could just be a coincidence as the hba1c is a completely different test from the ones mentioned in your attachment. On the other hand - maybe it isn't a coincidence. Of course I will never know.

Thanks for posting this @Krystyna23040 , I have my next HbA1c next month so will stop my Vit B complex a week before (mine just contains the RDA). Make your experiment an n = 2 instead of just one!

Edit to add, actually I’ll stop them from today, as I have a GP appt in a weeks time, just in case he springs an early HbA1c on me!

 

[jjraak]

Well I'm not due until end of year.. But I'll also use due diligence and refrain for a few days.

Thanks for pointing it out @DCUKMod
And likewise, you @Krystyna23040

I'll be joining @Rachox as part of your study cohort

 

[Krystyna23040]

@DCUKMod @Rachox @jjraak I will definitely be repeating the experiment again in six months time. All my previous hba1c results have never once reflected my actually blood testing which I do rather a lot of trying to discover if I am running high at anytime during the day or night - which I never am.

 

[DCUKMod]

@Krystyna23040 , @Rachox , @jjraak - Having done my retest, I'll post my comparative results later. To be clear, my results relate to thyroid function and implicated vitamin levels, they don't contain an A1c, but they do show a shift in about 10 days, almost all of which were without B-Complex supplementation.

Coincidentally, I was comind to the end of my pot, and had already decided to review continuation when I had received and digested the initial results.

Watch this space for the next thrilling installment. ))

 

[DCUKMod]

I've added the data to the leading post, as it maybe sits best there.

@Krystyna23040 , @Rachox , @jjraak

 

[Brunneria]

That is a big shift in Serum TSH! and T3 and T4 lower. That isn't good, is it?

 

[DCUKMod]

That is a big shift in Serum TSH! and T3 and T4 lower. That isn't good, is it?

Yes, my take, when I view the recent, but longer term results (April to September), which would not have had the potential to have been affected by the biotin intake issue (my B-Complex has been a very recent addition to improve it up a bit), my TSH has gone from 0.09 to 0.791, FT4 just moves a tiny up up and down, in range, but sub-optimally so, and the T3 has gone from a just in range 3.4 to below range 2.52.

On the upside, it does illustrate my feeling that the old thyroid function hasn't been at all good for a while.

Now the challenge is to persuade the NHS to pick up the tab. If not it'll be Plan B.

 

[Krystyna23040]

@DCUKMod have just read the the following rather scary warning about biotin from the FDA. I am assuming that the death they mention is because the person they mentioned got an incorrect diagnosis because biotin interfered with the lab results.

'FDA Warning - Biotin in blood or other samples taken from patients who are ingesting high levels of biotin in dietary supplements can cause clinically significant incorrect lab test results. The FDA has seen an increase in the number of reported adverse events, including one death, related to biotin interference with lab tests.'

 

[DCUKMod]

@DCUKMod have just read the the following rather scary warning about biotin from the FDA. I am assuming that the death they mention is because the person they mentioned got an incorrect diagnosis because biotin interfered with the lab results.

'FDA Warning - Biotin in blood or other samples taken from patients who are ingesting high levels of biotin in dietary supplements can cause clinically significant incorrect lab test results. The FDA has seen an increase in the number of reported adverse events, including one death, related to biotin interference with lab tests.'

It's certainly something to bear in mind. I'll be laying off the B-complex for a while, to see if I can naturally maintain the improved levels, as I always used to be able to.

 

[Rachox]

Had my bloods taken today for something else but as suspected my GP threw in an early HbA1c! I stopped the B complex containing Biotin 10 days ago but then started one without Biotin 3 days ago as I didn’t want to miss out on B12 whilst on Metformin. I would expect my HbA1c to be very close to last time (34) as my MySugr estimate is just 0.2 different than at the point of my last lab test, so we’ll see, I’ll report back when the results are available.

Edit to correct MySugr estimate, it went down a tiny bit further today and I hadn’t noticed!

 

[Rachox]

Ok results are in:
April ‘19 on Biotin, MySugr estimate read 29.4, Lab result 34
Sept ‘19 off Biotin, MySugr estimate read 29.2, Lab result 32
Not conclusive that Biotin affects my results really?

 

[DCUKMod]

Ok results are in:
April ‘19 on Biotin, MySugr estimate read 29.4, Lab result 34
Sept ‘19 off Biotin, MySugr estimate read 29.2, Lab result 32
Not conclusive that Biotin affects my results really?

@Rachox - I didn't look closely at the list I posted ^^^^ in the OP, but from memory I don't think A1c was noted as usually affected?

 

[Rachox]

@Rachox - I didn't look closely at the list I posted ^^^^ in the OP, but from memory I don't think A1c was noted as usually affected?

I acknowledge that the article doesn’t mention HbA1c, however I was doing a comparison because @Krystyna23040 mentioned up thread that she got an unexpectedly low HbA1c when she had reduced her B7 supplementation.

 

[Krystyna23040]

I do apologise because I think I am going to completely derail the thread. The Bs I was taking contained 300ug Biotin. Have taken this brand for years and years. For years and years I have had horrible night cramps - much worse since Keto.

Never got night cramps when staying away from home (I never took my Bs with me). Never got the cramps when I swapped my Bs for much lower Biotin Bs (50g instead of 300) after reading the OP on this thread. No cramps on the week without any Bs at all in the week prior to my hb1ac.

As I had a full bottle of the high biotin Bs I decided I didn't want to waste them so started taking them - immediate night cramp. Stopped - no more cramps.

Interesting - I wonder if I am hyper sensitive to Biotin. I had always puzzled - why do I never get cramps when I am staying away from home. I would never have worked it out without this thread.