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Nutreval Help? I hope it's alright..

Messages
8
...for me to ask for help from out of nowhere. ;)

My 16yr old son has a host of symptoms, including chronic fatigue and many neurological symptoms that are distressing. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease, but that treatment road has not helped him so far. My doctor suggested the Nutreval test, but after a phone consultation I have learned that he doesn't know what many of the results mean. I was hoping someone here could give me some more information. I have already been searching the internet and have found some information, but I kept coming to this board so I thought I'd join. :)

The only thing the doctor seemed interested in and quite surprised about was the high gamma linolenic acid.

I understand the commentary in the back... I was just hoping I could learn more - especially how this might be affecting my son's health.

B-Vitamins
Thiamin - borderline
Pyridoxine - borderline
Folic Acid - borderline

Minerals
Magnesium - borderline
Zinc - Low 6.5 (reference range 7.8-13.1 mcg/g)

Need for Methylation - borderline

Carbohydrate Metabolism
Pyruvic Acid - borderline high2 6 (with reference range 7-32)

Creatine concentration - borderline high 17.8 (with reference range 3.1-19.5 mmol/L)

Neurotransmitter Metabolites
Quinolinic Acid - borderline high 7.9 (with reference range <=9.1)
Kynurenic/Quinolinic Ratio- low 0.34 (with reference range >=0.44)

Toxin Detoxification Markers
a-hydroxyisobutyric acid from MTBE - high 6.8( with reference range <=6.7)

Nutritionally Essential Amino Acids
Lysine - Low 38( with reference range of 34-226)
Methionine - High 90 (with reference range of 26-69)
Pheynylalanine - High 62( with reference range 22-61)
Tryptophan - borderline 86 (reference range 23-88)

Nonessential Protein Amino Acids
Cystine - High 114 (reference range 23-68)
Glutamic Acid - High 18 (Reference range 3-15)
Tyrosine - borderline 104 (reference range 28-113)

Intermediary Metabolites
Glycine/Serine Metabolites
Ethanolamine - High 581 (reference range 156-422)
Phosphoserine - high 69 (reference range 26-64)
Sarcosine - High 42 (reference range <=41)

Dietary Peptide Related Markers
Anserine (dipeptide) - borderline low 7 (reference range 8-118)
Carnosine (dipeptide) - low 3 (reference range 12-120)

Omega 9's - borderline 13.4 (reference range 13.3-16.6)

Saturated Fatty Acids
Palmitic - borderline 18 (reference range 18-23 wt%)
Stearic - high 19 (reference range 14-17 wt %)
Tricosanoic - high 0.25 (reference range 0.12-0.18)

Omege 6 Fatty Acids - borderline high 38.2 (reference range 30.5-39.7)
gamma-Linolenic - High 0.20 (reference range 0.03-0.13 wt %)
Arachidonic - High 21 (reference range 15-21)
Eicosadienoic - borderline high 0.21 (reference range <=0.26)

Delta - 6 Desaturase Activity
Linoleic/DGLA -borderline upregulated 6.6 (reference range 6.0-12.3

Omega 3 Index - Low 3.9 (reference range <=4.0)

lead, antimony, and arsenic were all measurable but within the reference range.

Also, his WBC is always a little high...

Thanks for any help!
 
Messages
15,786
Supplementing with high HPA and DHA fish oil should bring up the omega 3 and help balance out the omega 6. This could help to deal with inflammation problems.

Glycine might help bring down the cystine and glutamate. Getting glutamate down can help with sleep or over-active-brain-that-won't-shut-up issues. This will also raise glutathione.

A good B-complex vitamin is likely to help too. One that is balanced to daily needs, rather than relying on whatever is naturally in yeast or 50mg of everything. Also active forms might be better - methylcobalamin (B12) and methylfolate (not folic acid) are generally recommended. A separate higher dose of B12 might also be something to consider. This should also help with methylation.

Zinc and magnesium are also a good idea. Zinc can help with immune issues, and magnesium can help a lot with muscle twitches/cramps, as well as constipation.
 

aprilk1869

Senior Member
Messages
294
Location
Scotland, UK
Is your son eating much meat? The carnosine is very low and this isn't good. It's even lower than my Dad's who is vegetarian.

"Interestingly, the paleolithic diet is quite high in carnosine. Recently, carnosine elevation has shown to increase telomere length and to directly combat glycation from high blood sugars and high PUFA diets. No one is quite sure yet the exact mechanism but since the paleolithic diet contains massive amounts of carnosine it helps tremendously in treatment of this difficult combination."
http://www.jackkruse.com/what-is-peripheral-neuropathy/
 
Messages
8
Is your son eating much meat? The carnosine is very low and this isn't good. It's even lower than my Dad's who is vegetarian.

"Interestingly, the paleolithic diet is quite high in carnosine. Recently, carnosine elevation has shown to increase telomere length and to directly combat glycation from high blood sugars and high PUFA diets. No one is quite sure yet the exact mechanism but since the paleolithic diet contains massive amounts of carnosine it helps tremendously in treatment of this difficult combination."
http://www.jackkruse.com/what-is-peripheral-neuropathy/

I had read about it being common among vegetarians and that just doesn't make sense. We eat meat every day. Thanks for the link.
 
Messages
8
Do you think he could have malabsorption? If this is the case then fermented food and drink might help such as sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir.
Yes, I do... and we have tried for years to get these fermented foods in his diet, but he fights us...



I am going to paste what I gathered from the "commentary" that came with the test -

--2-HIBA was elevated and is a

metabolite of a gasoline additive. This was just

one decimal

point from not being above the reference range,

and I am guessing it isn't a problem...


--Kynurenic Acid/Quinolinic Acid ratio was low

which is associated with inflammation and overall

neurotoxicity. Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner says this QA is elevated when the spirochetes infect the brain.


--He has low levels of a dietary peptide called

anserine.

"There is no clinical significance for low

anserine."


--Another dietary peptide, carnosine, was

measured to be lower than the reference range.

This is

typically low or absent for individuals who eat

low protein diets... NOT the case in our house!


--The amino acid cystine was elevated, but

without corresponding elevations in other amino

acids.

This is consistent with cystinuria - a genetic

disorder that causes kidney stones. One of the

symptoms is week fingernails, and his fingernails

have crumbled right in the middle many times. It

is also is associated with inflammatory responses

and reduced ability to detoxify if limited

glutathione results.



--Phenylalanine measured elevated...

This is linked to iron deficiency, subnormal

tissue oxygenation, anemia, pulmonary disorders,

cardiovascular

problems, magnesium deficiency, aluminum excess,

b3 and b1 deficiency, mitochondrial damage,

biopterin insufficiency, adrenocortical

insufficiency, addisons disease and insulin

insufficiency, genetic weakness AND MORE.

Symptoms with mild

moderate hyperphenylalaninuria include fatigue,

headaches, brain fog or mental confusion, nausea

or diarrhea. Artificial sweeteners need to be

avoided. We already do that.


--Ethanolamine was elevated. Magnesium deficiency

is frequently observed to coincide with this, and

could be caused by excess microbial production of

ethanolamine in the intestines and rate-limited

formation of phosphoethanolamine from

ethanolamine. A stool sample is needed to tell

the difference. Other markers for intestinal disbiosis didn't get flagged.


--Phosphoserine is an intermediary metabolite of

serine formation from phosphoglycerate

(glycolysis). It was elevated but serine is not.

Also, phosphoethanolamine is not elevated. This

suggests a rate limitation specific to the

phosphoglycerate-to-serine pathway.

This could be elevated due to a magnesium

deficiency {which he has} or b6 deficiency

{which he has} or coenzyme dysfunction of

pyridoxal 5-phosphate. This elevated

phosphoserine can cause vitamin D dysfunction, or

hormone/steroid imbalances.


--Methionine -amino acid- was elevated. This

implies rate-limited impaired metabolism of this

essential amino acid. This could have

far-reaching consequences and multiple

symptomatology. Magnesium may help.


--Glutamic acid is elevated and dicarboxylic

hyperaminoaciduria is not present.

The known conditions consistent with this are

ingestion of MSG, ingestion of nutritional

supplements containing large amounts of glutamic

acid, gout or pregout, some imbalance or

impairment in purine metabolism, metabolic or

renal acidosis. We avoid MSG, and he isn't on any supplements with glutamic acid.


--Sarcosine is elevated wich suggests three

possibilities.

1.recent dietary supplementation of

dimethylglycine.

2.Deficiencies of folic acid, THF, b2,

roboflavin. The methyl group fragment removed from sarcosine is at the oxidative level of CHO and can form

formaldehyde and slow down sarcosine's catabolism

while making it somewhat toxic.

3. Genetic weakness which is rare.

Unpublished clinical observations associate some

cases of acquired, mild sarcosinuria with past

exposures to organic chemical solvent and

petrochemicals. It's not known to be toxic,

however, folic acid supplementation is suggested

whenever sarcosine is elevated. He was low on

folic acid.


--Linoleic acid was within reference range but

below the functional physiologic range. Found in

virtually all vegetable oils. Linoleic acid

stimulates normal cellular division and cellular

repair. Inadequate LA may result in eczema-like

skin eruptions, behavioral disturbances,

increased thirst, growth retardation, and

impaired wound healing.


--Arachidonic acid was within the reference

range, but above the functional physiologic

range. AA is

also the main precursor for pro-inflammatory

eicosanoid synthesis. It may contribute to a

feed-forward inflammatory cascade and increased

immune system activation.


--Pentadecanoic acid and/or Tricosanoic acid are

above the reference range. May indicate an

increased need for b12 and biotin,

or may result from an exceptionally high water-soluble fiber diet.


--His lead, antimony, and arsenic were measurable

but not high. This is his second

heavy metals test with the same metals

elevated... but they didn't test for as many

metals this time. He's had two rounds of DMSA since testing.


--And last but not least, his zinc was very low.

He was also low on Thiamin, B6, Folic acid,

magnesium, and lysine and the papers suggest we

supplement them and omega 3's.
 

aprilk1869

Senior Member
Messages
294
Location
Scotland, UK
Yes, I do... and we have tried for years to get these fermented foods in his diet, but he fights us...

I make fermented ketchup and you wouldn't really notice the difference. You can also make fermented mayo, mustard etc but I haven't tried these things yet. Some people with gut problems find that eating raw meat and fish easier to digest than cooked.

I recommend reading Jack Kruse's blog (which can be overwhelming) as he's a neurosurgeon who knows an awful lot about many health problems and how to treat them with diet, lifestyle changes.

http://www.jackkruse.com/hey-lyme-disease-meet-leptin/
http://www.jackkruse.com/easy-start-guide/
 
Messages
8
I make fermented ketchup and you wouldn't really notice the difference.

I have to chuckle at that! I tried making the Nourishing Traditions recipe for ketchup. My kids look back in horror... "Remember that time we made our own ketchup, mom, and it was soooo gross?" Lol!

Thank you for the blog link. I take a look and book mark it as well. :)
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
I recommend reading Jack Kruse's blog (which can be overwhelming) as he's a neurosurgeon who knows an awful lot about many health problems and how to treat them with diet, lifestyle changes.
Hi April, did you try his protocols? I see he also has a protocol for "adrenal fatigue".
 

aprilk1869

Senior Member
Messages
294
Location
Scotland, UK
Hi April, did you try his protocols? I see he also has a protocol for "adrenal fatigue".

My mum started eating meat for the first time in 20-odd years on the 1st of this year and nearly a week ago started the Big Ass Breakfast (BAB, 3 rashers of bacon and 3 eggs). From that day on she hasn't needed to sleep in the afternoon. She sleeps very badly and wakes up feeling very tired but when she eats her BAB she gets a boost of energy that continues through the day.

A few days ago she started taking cold showers and I don't know if she's noticed anything from that yet. She's delighted with her progress so far and lost 5lbs in the first week. My dad is resisting eating meat so we might have to start hiding it in his food and pretend that it's soy and Quorn.

I'm going to set up a consult for my Dad as I really feel Dr Jack Kruse knows a lot more about health than anyone else I've read about on the internet. His blog isn't easy to comprehend but I highly recommend his protocols based on what I've seen so far.