Re: Major DNA breakthrough...simple yet complex (hard to find since it's DNA related)!

In the past I wrote about a vitamin A absorption issue I found after I took a specialty vitamin absorption blood test. blood test. The only vitamin I wasn't absorbing at all was vitamin A. I had no explanation why, but I figured it was related to celiac disease. New DNA results for vitamin A absorption shows that I have a gene mutation affecting my body's ability to absorb vitamin A from food. This is something in addition to my vitamin B12 issue. I can't explain why the blood test didn't show an absorption issue with vitamin B12, but the test measured it in blood cells or not absorption in gut.

Here's my vitamin A report to follow up.

"Vitamin A is important for immune function, healthy eyesight, red blood cell production and skin health.

Sources of Vitamin A include preformed Vitamin A (e.g. retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate) in animal products and provitamin A carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene) in fruits and vegetables.

Provitamin A carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene) in fruit and vegetables must be converted into active forms of Vitamin A (e.g. retinol, retinal, retinoic acid) before they can be used by the body.

BCMO1 is an enzyme that converts provitamin A carotenoids into active forms of Vitamin A. The activity of this enzyme affects how well your body makes Vitamin A. This trait analyses several variants of your BCMO1 gene (including rs11645428 and rs6564851), which change the activity of the BCMO1 enzyme.

You carry gene variants associated with low BCMO1 enzyme activity. Your body is less effective at making Vitamin A from provitamin A carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene) in fruit and vegetables. Therefore, you have an increased requirement for Vitamin A. You are at a greater risk of Vitamin A deficiency if you exclusively rely upon plant-based sources of Vitamin A (i.e. provitamin A carotenoids in fruits and vegetables)."

Tweet