Dr. Harry Jarrett the director of science and research at UK supplement brand Heights, presented unpublished research at the recent London conference (March 31 – April 1) revealing that even apparently healthy adults may be living with widespread \u201chidden\u201d micronutrient deficiencies as a result of declining food quality and high consumption of ultra-processed foods.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt baseline, in apparently healthy adults with no diagnosed deficiency or medical condition, people who would be considered well by any conventional measure, we found 40% deficient in folate, 34% in active B12, and 83% with suboptimal or deficient riboflavin status,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The research backs previous studies revealing that around 50% of the adult UK population have riboflavin deficiency<\/a> and red blood cell folate levels have decreased<\/a> by approximately 3% per year over the past 20 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThis represents a significant public health concern that needs to be addressed,\u201d Jarrett said.<\/p>\n Vitamin supplement study shows major gains in nutrient biomarkers<\/p>\n The presented research, conducted by Heights employees alongside researchers from the Functional Gut Clinic in London, and King\u2019s College London, looked into the impact of a 12-week intervention with Heights\u2019 Vitals multivitamin on several biomarkers.<\/p>\n The study recruited 35 healthy adult males and females from sites in London and Manchester who were randomized into two groups: Vitals multivitamin or a placebo.<\/p>\n The researchers measured a range of biomarkers, including riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate, red blood cell folate, omega-3 index and total homocysteine levels. They also assessed safety through adverse event monitoring and comprehensive blood panels.<\/p>\n Initial tests showed that 51% of participants had elevated homocysteine levels, over 80% had suboptimal or deficient riboflavin status, and several participants also showed deficiencies in folate and vitamin B12.<\/p>\n Following the intervention, the active group corrected all elevated homocysteine levels and significantly improved nutrient status, increasing red blood cell folate by 82%, active B12 by 25%, vitamin B6 by 115%, and riboflavin by 17%.<\/p>\n Jarrett noted that higher levels of homocysteine are linked to a higher risk of dementia, with every small increase (5 \u00b5mol\/L) raising risk by about 35%.<\/p>\n How quickly the biomarker improvements translate to functional outcomes such as energy, cognition and mood, will be highly individual, Jarrett explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trajectory depends on baseline deficiency status, age, genetics, gut health, and overall diet,\u201d he said. \u201cSomeone clinically deficient in riboflavin or B12 may notice differences sooner than someone who was subclinically low.\u201d<\/p>\n Supplement formula shows \u2018synergistic\u2019 effect on key brain health marker<\/p>\n As Jarrett told NI, the positive results were due to \u2018deliberate combination of optimal doses, biologically active nutrient forms, and key nutrient\u2013nutrient interactions built into Vitals\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cFolate, B12, B6, and riboflavin all cooperate in one carbon metabolism, the biochemical pathway responsible for keeping homocysteine levels within the optimal range,\u201d he noted. \u201cThese four B-vitamins are co-dependent, and deficiency in any one impairs the whole system.<\/p>\n \u201cBy Vitals correcting all four simultaneously, this produced a synergistic homocysteine lowering that, to our knowledge, is the largest achieved by a commercially available multivitamin – three times the reduction reported by a competitor in their clinical trial.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that Vitals combines B-vitamins with algae-derived DHA and EPA, a combination that is mechanistically important because adequate levels of B-vitamins, particularly folate and B12, are necessary for the production of phosphatidylcholine, which transports DHA across the blood\u2013brain barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two are interdependent, not just additive,\u201d Jarrett noted <\/p>\n The product also uses forms of vitamins that the body can better utilize, including folate as 5-MTHF, which avoids a common enzyme problem (MTHFR) that prevents some people\u2014about 12% in the UK\u2014from properly converting standard folic acid.<\/p>\n It also includes vitamin B12 as its active form, methylcobalamin, which does not need conversion. <\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the amount of riboflavin included (30 mg) is set close to the maximum level the body can absorb efficiently.<\/p>\n Jarrett said product format and formulation is \u2018critically important\u2019 to the efficacy of vitamins in a product. <\/p>\n \u201cThis distinction is one the industry consistently fails to communicate honestly,\u201d he said. \u201cIncluding a nutrient on a label and ensuring it actually reaches the relevant biological pathway at a sufficient quantity to change biochemical status are entirely different things.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a supplement to work, the nutrient must be present at an optimal dose, in a form that survives digestion, is absorbed across the gut, transported into cells, converted into its active co-enzyme form, and contributes to the biochemical pathways it is intended to support. It can fail at any of these steps.\u201d<\/p>\n Call for dietary guideline review<\/p>\n Jarrett noted that current UK Reference Nutrient Intakes are largely set to prevent clinical deficiencies, not to ensure optimal biochemical status; however, there is \u2018compelling evidence\u2019 these are not the same thing. Furthermore, he noted that modern diets provide fewer micronutrients than previous generations had access to.<\/p>\n \u201cDeclining dietary diversity and the dominance of energy-dense but nutrient-depleted ultra-processed foods all contribute to what we refer to at Heights as hidden micronutrient deficiencies,\u201d he said. \u201cOur guidelines need to evolve to reflect the diet and food system people actually live with today.\u201d<\/p>\n