This panel checks for Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Folate (Vitamin B9) levels, essential for your health and wellbeing.

Deficiencies can make an enormous difference to your body and the way you feel and are usually easily rectified with supplements.

Vitamin deficiencies cause a wide range of common symptoms and conditions.

If you follow a plant-based diet, Vitamin B12 will be particularly important for you as can be difficult to intake enough through your diet.

Similarly if you don't eat enough folate rich foods, such as leafy green vegetables, nuts and beans, then knowing whether you have a folate deficiency is very important.

It is estimated that up to 25% of people living in the UK have low levels of Vitamin D by the end of the winter.

Deficiencies in these vitamins cause a wide range of problems and complications including fatigue, weakness, neurological issues and depression. Folate levels are particularly important in pregnant women.

This test analyses 3 key vitamins:

• Vitamin D (25-OH) is responsible for maintaining the strength of healthy teeth and bones. Vitamin D also helps to maintain lung and heart health and improving low mood.
• Vitamin B12 (total) plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy nervous system. This vitamin also helps to generate red blood cells which assist with carrying oxygen around the body.
• Folate (Vitamin B9) also known as folic acid, is an essential nutrient in pregnancy and helps to generate red and white blood cells.

Vitamin D (25-OH) is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is produced as a response to sun exposure in the body. Vitamin D intake can also be boosted through the consumption of certain foods or supplements.

It is responsible for maintaining strong and healthy teeth and bones. good lung and heart health and improving low mood.

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. It is naturally found in some foods, can be added to some foods, and is available as a dietary supplement.

Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy nervous system and generates red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body.

Folate is the natural form of vitamin B. It is a water-soluble vitamin and it's naturally found in many foods.

It is also known as folic acid and is essential in pregnancy and generates red and white blood cells in your body.

Your body makes Vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight and it needs it to help regulate your body's calcium and phosphate which are needed to keep your muscles, bones and teeth healthy.

Most people make enough Vitamin D during the spring and summer, when there is plenty of sunlight but your body does not store the vitamin and so people can become deficient in the winter months when there is less sunlight and we are far more likely to be covered up (in the UK at least!)

Other conditions such as age and obesity also may make you more prone to make enough Vitamin D, plus the darker your skin is the more sun exposure you will need to make the vitamin because it contains more melanin.

Cod liver oil is one of the foods highest in Vitamin D, but oily fish such as sardines, salmon and tuna, and orange juice and dairy products are also good sources of Vitamin D in your diet. There are also a wide range of supplements available.

Most of our vitamin B12 comes from our diet and your body needs it to form red blood cells and also DNA.

Foods with high levels of vitamin B12 generally come from animal products, especially meat, eggs and milk, so if you eat a plant-based diet it is much harder to get sufficient amounts of this vitamin.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anaemia, which is when your body has either fewer red blood cells or lower amounts of haemoglobin, which is what your blood cells need to carry oxygen. Symptoms include tiredness and lack of energy, mouth ulcers, disturbed vision and psychological problems including depression. You can get these symptoms from being deficient in Vitamin B12 without having anaemia.

Your body stores vitamin B12 in your liver and it is unlikely to have too much as it is water-soluble, so when you have more than you need your body can flush it out. There are certain serious health conditions that mean your vitamin B12 levels could be too high, including kidney failure, liver disease and some blood cancers.

Like vitamin B12, folate is important in making red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA and for healthy cells to grow and function. This is why it is so important during pregnancy.

Folate generally comes through your diet from dark green leafy vegetables, fruit and fruit juice (especially orange juice) and nuts beans and peas. You can also take folic acid supplements, which is the man-made form of folate. A lot of breads and cereals are also fortified with folic acid

Folate deficiency can cause megatoblastic anaemia, which causes tiredness, weakness, trouble concentrating and shortness of breath, but this is not common. Folate can also help decrease your risk from certain types of cancer, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and there is also evidence that people with low levels of folate are more likely to have depression and not respond as well to antidepressant medications.

Vitamin deficiencies can lead to a wide range of symptoms like low energy, fatigue, low mood, and irritability. Understanding if these symptoms are attributed to vitamin deficiencies, can help you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle and your diet.