You’ve probably heard how important vitamins and minerals are. But even if you’re eating your greens and taking a multivitamin, your body could still be lacking certain nutrients.
Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function and survive. And when our bodies don’t get enough of them, things can start to go wrong – even before we start to feel it.
Micronutrient deficiencies have been linked to different health conditions and chronic diseases. But the thing is, these small but mighty nutrients aren’t checked on routine blood work.
So how are you supposed to know if you have low micronutrient levels?
Micronutrient testing checks for the levels of over 30 different essential micronutrients. It’s one of the many tests I use to help my patients optimize their health at the cellular level and discover their risk of developing illness down the road.
By taking a micronutrient test, you’ll be able to learn your true nutritional status and see exactly what deficiencies you have. And once you know, you can work with a functional medicine provider like myself to fix it with a personalized dietary supplement. By doing this, you can optimize your health and prevent diseases before they begin.
But first, we need to learn a bit more about micronutrients.
What Are Micronutrients?
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that our cells need in small, or “micro,” amounts to perform necessary functions. We get micronutrients from the food we eat, and micronutrient absorption happens in the digestive tract.
There are over 30 micronutrients you need, and our bodies are only able to make a handful of them. And even then, it’s not a perfect science. The micronutrients our bodies can make on their own include:
- Vitamin D: made when our skin is in the sunlight
- Vitamin B6: produced by healthy bacteria in our gut
And even though our bodies can make these two vitamins, our bodies still rely on other factors to make them like sunlight and healthy gut bacteria. So even in this case, your body still may not make enough.
This is especially true for vitamin D, as it’s been shown that 95% of Americans have low levels of vitamin D.¹
Why Do You Need Micronutrients?
In general, our body’s main goal is to maintain something called homeostasis. Homeostasis is basically the balance that your body needs to function and stay healthy.
Micronutrients play a huge part in this. Each one has a specific role in the body and impacts different bodily functions like:²
- Metabolism
- Hormone production
- Immune system health
- Inflammation
So if your body isn’t getting the right amount of micronutrients, these important processes are affected, which can cause illness and affect overall health.
And the only way to see if this is happening is through a micronutrient test.
What is a Micronutrient Test?
A micronutrient test measures 31 vitamins and minerals by looking at a blood sample. Micronutrient testing can help identify nutritional deficiencies early and long before symptoms start. This way, any nutrient deficiencies you may have can be corrected before there is irreversible damage.
Or if you have vague symptoms, recurrent infections, fatigue, or a “mystery” illness no one can figure out, you may finally get answers after testing your micronutrient levels.
It’s important to note that these types of tests measure micronutrients that are inside of cells – not just in the bloodstream. This is how micronutrient testing gives a clear picture of how well your cells are functioning.
One of the tests I offer is through Spectracell, which can be completed by having your blood drawn at a laboratory or at home.
Results typically take about 10 to 14 days, and you get a 13 page report explaining your results in detail. Here’s an example of a micronutrient test result:
(insert spectracell sample report)
Because of how much detail is included in the results, it can be overwhelming to try to navigate on your own. This is when it’s best to work with a healthcare provider. They can help review your test results with you and make personalized recommendations based on your medical history, health goals, diet, and lifestyle.
What Nutrients are Tested?
Micronutrient tests like the one through Spectracell measure the levels of the 31 different micronutrients in the body. These micronutrients play key roles in immune function, inflammation, metabolism, and more. Here’s a breakdown of what micronutrients are measured.
B Vitamins
There are eight different B vitamins that our bodies need. The main reasons we need B vitamins are for brain and nervous system health.³
The different B vitamins include:
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Folate
- Pantothenate
- Biotin
Besides brain and nervous system health, certain B vitamins play a role in managing inflammation in the body. Vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate all help to keep levels of homocysteine from getting too high.
This is important because if homocysteine levels are high, inflammation is too. High homocysteine levels have also been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease – which can cause heart attacks and strokes.⁴
Amino Acids and Metabolites
Amino acids are compounds in the body that are responsible for building proteins. They also help the body make certain hormones and chemicals.⁵
The amino acids measured on this micronutrient panel include:
- Serine
- Glutamine
- Asparagine
Micronutrient testing also measures the different levels of metabolites. When our cells perform certain functions, there are specific micronutrients that are involved called metabolites. So by measuring these metabolites, we can see how efficient your cells are with certain functions.
These metabolites include:
- Choline: helps to build fat-carrying proteins, break down cholesterol, and helps the nerves send signals throughout the body
- Inositol: helps to break down sugar and carbohydrates
- Camitine: aids in processing fatty acids
- Oleic Acid: helps to regulate cholesterol and store energy in cells
Other Vitamins and Minerals
This micronutrient test also takes a look at eight other essential vitamins and minerals in the body. Each micronutrient below acts on more than one part of the body, which goes to show just how powerful they are when it comes to health and well-being.
Vitamin D and calcium work together to keep your bones healthy and strong. Vitamin D also helps support immune system and brain health.⁶ If you don’t get enough vitamin D and calcium, you may develop conditions like osteoporosis, which is thinning of the bones.
Vitamin A is needed to maintain healthy vision, cell function, and immune system function. Not having enough vitamin A can cause certain types of anemia as well as dry eyes.⁷
Vitamin K2 is a type of K vitamin that helps the body form blood clots, build healthy bones, and prevent calcium build up in blood vessels. A deficiency of vitamin K2 can cause:⁸
- Blood clotting disorders
- Osteoporosis
- Plaque build up in blood vessels, which can cause heart attacks
Manganese is a mineral your body needs for proper metabolism, bone growth, reproduction, immune system function, and blood clotting. Being deficient in manganese can result in:⁹
- Weak bones
- Skin rashes
- Loss of hair color in men
- Mood changes
- Severe premenstrual pain in women
Zinc is needed in order for the body to make over 100 different enzymes.⁴ Zinc deficiency can cause conditions like:
- Depression
- Anemia¹⁰
- Poor immune system function¹¹
Copper plays a big role in immune system health and our body’s ability to make blood cells. Similar to zinc, copper deficiency can cause anemia and poor immune system function.¹²
Magnesium is responsible for the production of over 300 different enzymes, and it plays a role in the health of several body systems. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to many health conditions including:¹³
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Osteoporosis.
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Carbohydrate metabolism is another important element that’s checked on the micronutrient test. Results of this section show how well your body is able to break down and properly use the sugars, or carbohydrates, that you eat and drink.
Our ability to properly use carbohydrates comes down to how good our bodies are at making a hormone called insulin and how sensitive our cells are to it. Insulin helps to move glucose (sugar) from the blood into cells so that our cells can use it for energy.
In order to measure this, we look at:
- Fructose, a type of sugar
- Glucose-Insulin Interaction
- Chromium
If these levels are off, it means that your body isn’t doing the best at metabolizing carbohydrates. This can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Antioxidants
The last part of this micronutrient test measures the levels of essential antioxidants. Antioxidants are essential micronutrients that help to prevent cell damage by controlling chemicals called free radicals.
Free radicals enter the body through toxins like cigarette smoke, air pollution, and metals. They’re also produced as a result of certain processes in the body, like when white blood cells fight off infections.
And if the levels of free radicals get too high, they may damage cells and DNA enough to cause cancer and other chronic health conditions.¹⁴
There are seven different antioxidants measured, and they include:
- Glutathione
- Cysteine
- Coenzyme Q10
- Selenium
- Vitamin E
- Lipoic Acid
- Vitamin C
How To Use Your Results To Create A Personalized Supplement
If you’re thinking of doing a micronutrient test, you’re probably wondering what you’d do with your results. You’d be able to see what micronutrient deficiencies you have, but you’d probably have questions like:
- How much of each vitamin do I take?
- What brand do I buy?
- When do I take each supplement?
- Do any supplements interact with medications I take?
Well, that’s where I come in!
I work with patients that have different nutrient and vitamin deficiencies to develop personalized supplement plans to correct their deficiencies and get them feeling better.
And I can’t stress enough that the treatment of vitamin deficiencies isn’t the same for everyone. Factors like age, diet, and certain health conditions can affect how well you absorb and use certain micronutrients. This is why it’s so important to complete micronutrient testing with a healthcare provider.
There are a couple of options when it comes time for treatment. Both options are online, which make ordering a breeze. And because I recommend each vitamin and mineral you take, I take the stress and guesswork out of it.
Fullscript
The first option is ordering through Fullscript. This site allows me to choose different brands and strengths of the micronutrients you need. Because each micronutrient has to be taken separately, this option is best for someone that only has a small number of micronutrient deficiencies to correct.
VitaminLab
The other option, which is my personal favorite, is ordering through VitaminLab compounding pharmacy. What’s different about this option is that your vitamin capsules are made just for you and with the right amount of nutrients you need.
Nothing more, nothing less.
This option is best for someone that needs to correct a moderate to large amount of micronutrients to get them into an optimal range.
How To Get a Micronutrient Test
Now that you’re an expert on the benefits of micronutrient testing, you’re probably wondering how you can do it yourself.
Micronutrient testing is one of the many types of lab testing I offer, and it’s just one of the many ways you can improve your health and wellbeing today.
To learn more about micronutrient testing today, click the link below:
(insert link here)
References:
1. Inadequacy of Immune Health Nutrients: Intakes in US Adults, the 2005–2016 NHANES – (nih.gov)
2. Micronutrients – (who.int)
3. B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine – (nih.gov)
4. Micronutrients in health and disease – (nih.gov)
5. Protein and Amino Acids – (nih.gov)
6. Calcium; Vitamin D Tablets – (clevelandclinic.org)
7. Vitamin A – (mayoclinic.org)
8. What To Know About Vitamin K2 and Its Health Benefits – (clevelandclinic.org)
9. Manganese – (nih.gov)
10. Association of Zinc with Anemia – (nih.gov)
11. Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function – (nih.gov)
12. Health Effects of Copper Deficiencies – (nih.gov)
13. Magnesium Metabolism and its Disorders – (nih.gov)
14. Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention – (cancer.gov)
