VITAMINTESTING.COM: Vitamin Deficiency Test Information

                             
Vitamin and mineral testing are used to assess the level of nutrients in an individual’s blood, urine and hair so that healthcare professionals can more accurately diagnose deficiency diseases or overdoses and devise an effective therapy in response.  Physicians regularly order tests, such as comprehensive metabolic panels (CMPs), that measure blood concentrations of minerals like calcium, sodium and potassium.  In instances that doctors do test vitamin levels, the most common tests are for folate, vitamin B12, vitamin K, vitamin D and vitamin A.  For minerals the most common tests are for iron and zinc.  Conventional doctors are not likely to perform more comprehensive tests as some vitamin blood tests are quite complex and expensive, making insurance coverage more difficult to receive.  It is also not standard medical practice for doctors to check for vitamin-drug interactions, look at vitamin deficiencies as potential causes of health conditions or perform tests that are proactive in nature (e.g. testing antioxidant levels which are known to protect the heart and organs).  For these reasons, you’ll often need an alternative medicine provider in order to get a more complete assessment of your vitamin balance and nutritional health (see Finding a Provider Page).  Caution needs to be exercised in all vitamin blood testing to ensure that either the laboratory or healthcare provider has no commercial interest (e.g. selling you vitamin supplements) in finding deficiencies.

A good example of commercially-available vitamin blood tests (in which no doctor’s order is required) can be found at: Health Testing Centers.  They are currently offering a 15% discount (use code VITATEST15 at checkout…this offer is subject to expiration at any time without notice). 

Below is an explanation of basic types of vitamin, mineral and related tests.

          

Vitamin and Mineral Blood Tests

Many consider blood plasma or serum samples to be amongst the most accurate methods of testing available.  Vitamins, and most minerals, are present in blood in extremely small concentrations.  Blood also contains a great number of chemicals and molecules, and many of these tend to interfere with vitamin and mineral tests.  For this reason, most reputable labs use a procedure, typically high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), that separates the vitamin or mineral from contaminating substances.  Following separation or purification by HPLC, the vitamin or mineral is detected by a color reaction or fluorescence reaction.  In these reactions, the amount of color or fluorescence that is formed is proportional to the amount of vitamin or mineral in the sample, allowing the amount of nutrient present in the original sample to be calculated. 

Alternatively, levels of some vitamins may be measured indirectly by a biological test that mimics the actual function of the vitamin in the body.  For instance, riboflavin is often measured by a test where the rate at which a certain enzyme converts one molecule into another indicates how much of the vitamin is present in a person’s blood.  Vitamin K levels are often assessed by a test that measures how long it takes for a spontaneous blood clot to form in a prepared sample.  Levels of vitamin E are often measured by placing the red blood cells in a test tube, adding hydrogen peroxide, and then assessing the resulting breakdown of the red blood cells. 

Live blood cells can also be analyzed.  Your blood is the life force of your body, delivering nutrients to the cells and carrying away waste products to be eliminated via the liver.  Live blood cell analysis is carried out by placing a drop of blood from the client’s fingertip on a microscope slide under a glass cover slip to keep it from drying out.  The slide is then viewed and the blood cells assessed at high magnification with a dark-field microscope that forwards the image to a television monitor.  The results can then be used as a basis for prescribing supplements.  Most users of live blood cell analysis are chiropractors, naturopaths and nutrition consultants.  Other vitamin deficiency tests, which measure cellular function, are also available.

     

Vitamin and Mineral Hair Tests

The causes of many problems, such as allergies, anemia, blood sugar imbalances, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, immune system dysfunctions, insomnia, osteoporosis, pain and thyroid issues, are often not uncovered by common medical tests but can be, in some instances, explained by the presence of toxic levels of minerals (mercury, lead, aluminum, etc.) in the body.

A hair tissue mineral analysis is considered a standard test used globally for the biological monitoring of trace elements and toxic metals in humans and animal species.  The same technology is used for soil testing and testing of rock samples to detect mineral levels.

Like all other body tissues, hair contains minerals that are deposited as it grows.  Although the hair is dead, the minerals remain as the hair continues to grow.  Mineral contents obtained from a sample of hair cut close to the scalp provides information on a patient’s past health history because hair has the long-term memory of the body’s health status.  In fact, mineral imbalances show up much sooner in the hair than in the blood.  This is because if the blood is deficient in minerals, it will pull them out of the tissues to maintain normal blood levels.  For this reason, serum mineral levels often appear normal even if one is ill.

But hair analysis is controversial and the reliability of hair tests has been questioned in a 2001 Journal of the American Medical Association study entitled, “Assessment of Commercial Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis”.  The study revealed that a hair sample from one person could produce extremely variable results when analyzed by different labs.  For a single hair sample submitted to six laboratories, variability among lab results ranged from 9.8% for sulfur to 238% for phosphorus.

This inconsistency may be partially attributable to contamination by hair dye, perms and other environmental chemicals.  While all six labs used a variety of methods to remove external contamination, no standardized procedure for hair sample collection and preparation exists to ensure consistency and reliability.  How much of the lab results were due to external chemicals coating the hair or penetrating the hair shaft from the outside is unclear.

        

Vitamin and Mineral Urine Tests

Urine tests are used to assess vitamin, mineral and antioxidant balance.  Things commonly measured with urine tests include: minerals (e.g. calcium, electrolytes), sugars, bone collagen, nitrates, chloride/adrenal stress, acidity, protein levels and vitamins (vitamin C and other antioxidants). 

A newer urine test, which measures organic acids, seems promising.  The book Laboratory Evaluations in Molecular Medicine states: “Instead of tests that measure nutrient concentrations, abnormal concentrations of organic acids in urine provide functional markers for the metabolic effects of vitamin inadequacies, toxic exposure, neuroendocrine activity and intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  The ultimate tool for laboratory evaluation in nutritional medicine is a simple, sensitive test that can reveal evidence of functional inadequacy of specific nutrients.  The promise of such a tool is found in profiling of organic acids in urine.”

Several organic acid tests are now available and measure things such as: vitamin, mineral and amino acid sufficiency, oxidative damage and antioxidant sufficiency, detoxification sufficiency and levels of bacterial and yeast overgrowth.  More information can be found at this organic testing website.

         

Other Types of Vitamin Deficiency Tests

• Saliva Tests:  These are primarily hormonal tests and are not usually used to assess nutrient or vitamin deficiency levels because the contents present in saliva can change in a short period of time depending on food and liquid intake.  What is assessed is male and female hormonal balance and the levels of hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid hormone, cortisol and DHEA (stress hormones).  Imbalances of these hormones may result in menopausal symptoms, decreased ability to adapt to stress, temperature and metabolism imbalances, cancer development, cardiovascular degeneration and an inability to lose weight. 
• Stool Tests:  These are not commonly used to test for vitamin balance.  But they are very valuable for detecting bacterial and other infections of the gastrointestinal tract. 

              

Additional Information

Explanation of Vitamin Tests for Each Vitamin Supplement

Urine Organic Acid Testing