Succinyl CoA becomes succinic acid using succinyl CoA synthetase. This reaction produces NADH which directly provides electrons for the electron transport chain or respiratory chain. Succinic acid requires the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase to become fumarate. This enzyme is ironbased and requires vitamin B2 to support flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) as a redox coenzyme. Succinate dehydrogenase plays a critical role in mitochondrial metabolism. Impairment of this enzyme’s activity has been linked to a variety of diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
References:
- Tretter L, Adam-Vizi V. Alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase: a target and generator of oxidative stress. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2005;360(1464):2335-2345.
- Rutter J, Winge DR, Schiffman JD. Succinate dehydrogenase - Assembly, regulation and role in human disease. Mitochondrion. 2010;10(4):393-401.
- Van Vranken JG, Na U, Winge DR, Rutter J. Protein-mediated assembly of succinate dehydrogenase and its cofactors. Crit Rev Biochem Molec Biol. 2015;50(2):168-180.
- Connors J, Dawe N, Van Limbergen J. The Role of Succinate in the Regulation of Intestinal Inflammation. Nutrients. 2018;11(1):25.
- Wentzel JF, Lewies A, Bronkhorst AJ, Van Dyk E, Du Plessis LH, Pretorius PJ. Exposure to high levels of fumarate and succinate leads to apoptotic cytotoxicity and altered global DNA methylation profiles in vitro. Biochimie. 2017;135:28-34.
- Harris RA, Joshi M, Jeoung NH, Obayashi M. Overview of the Molecular and Biochemical Basis of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Catabolism. J Nutr. 2005;135(6):1527S-1530S.
What does it mean if your Succinic acid result is too high?
Elevated levels of succinate may occur when there are nutritional enzyme inhibitions of the breakdown pathways, inherited low-activity enzymes are present, if there are high levels of precursors (succinyl-CoA, alpha-ketoglutarate), or if there are higher levels of its downstream products (fumarate).
High levels of succinate may also occur if there is complex II electron transport chain (ETC) inhibition. A loss of gastrointestinal barrier function (leaky gut) can increase circulating levels of bacterial proteins (lipopolysaccharides), which may also inhibit these enzymes.
Chronically increased succinate levels may increase oxidative stress and dysregulate the immune system. Dicarboxylic acids (cis-aconitate, isocitrate, succinate, malate, suberate, and adipate) may be excreted in high amounts due to increased mobilization of fatty acids, beta-oxidation defects (increased adipate and suberate), increased gut permeability or fasting.
→ Consider supporting the conversion of succinate into fumarate with vitamins B2, B3, copper, iron, zinc, CoQ10, resveratrol, and antioxidants. Melatonin may help upregulate enzyme activity.
→ Adult-onset complex II ETC inherited defects are rare and may present with cardiac problems or muscle weakness, incoordination, and possibly seizures.
-
Complex II (succinate dehydrogenase)
-
Elevated lactate
-
Some will also have elevated succinate, fumarate
-
-
Consider supporting ETC function with additional vitamins B2, B3, B5, B12, E, selenium, taurine and melatonin.
→ Obesity or diabetes can decrease alpha-ketoglutarate but increase succinate.
All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results Easily
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
Cancel or upgrade anytime
What does it mean if your Succinic acid result is too low?
Low levels of succinic acid can be seen with poor dietary intake or absorption of branched-chain amino acids. Branched-chain amino acids are catabolized to acetyl-CoA or succinyl-CoA to feed the Citric Acid Cycle. Additionally, vitamin B12 deficiency can induce a defect in the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA at the distal end of the valine and isoleucine pathways which can then decrease succinyl-CoA.
The succinate precursor succinyl-CoA can be synthesized in the liver from dietary fats via the omega-oxidation pathway, or from dietary proteins. Inhibition of the omega-oxidation pathway may result in low succinate levels.
→ Consider supporting succinate synthesis from alpha-ketoglutarate with vitamins B1, B2, calcium, and lipoic acid.
→ The succinate precursor succinyl-CoA may also be derived from branch-chain amino acids or fatty acids. Support this pathway in patients on “keto”, high protein, or low carbohydrate diets. Consider supporting alternate pathways with vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, biotin, r-lipoic acid, iron (if deficient), magnesium, and molybdenum. If the liver omega-oxidation pathway is inhibited (B3 or zinc deficiency) then levels of adipate, suberate, ethylmalonate, and methylsuccinate may be low.
Laboratories
Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Gather Your Lab History — and Finally Make Sense of It
Finally, Your Lab Results Organized and Clear
Personal plans
$79/ year
Advanced Plan
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 5 reports entered for you
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
$250/ once
Unlimited Account
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 10 reports entered for you
- No subscriptions. No extra fees.
$45/ month
Pro Monthly
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track lab results for multiple clients
- Customize reference ranges per client
- Export lab histories and reports
- Begin with first report entered by us
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
About membership
What's included in a Healthmatters membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
See Your Health Timeline
Understand What Your Results Mean
Visualize Your Results
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story
Once your results are in one place, see the bigger picture — track trends over time, compare data side by side, export your full history, and share securely with anyone you trust.
Bring all your results together to compare, track progress, export your history, and share securely.
What Healthmatters Members Are Saying
Frequently asked questions
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
- Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
- Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
- Upload lab reports from any lab
- View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
- Track trends and monitor changes over time
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export and share your full lab history
- Access your results anytime, from any device
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 10000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
- The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
- GI-MAP,
- The NutrEval FMV®,
- The ION Profile,
- Amino Acids Profile,
- Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
- Organic Acids Test,
- Organix Comprehensive Profile,
- Toxic Metals,
- Complete Blood Count (CBC),
- Metabolic panel,
- Thyroid panel,
- Lipid Panel,
- Urinalysis,
- And many, many more.
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.