Nutritional Testing

Question 1

Serum testing

Answer 1

Serum testing — good for standard nutrients like vitamin B12 and D3. Also good for inflammatory markers

Question 2

Red blood cell (RBC) testing

Answer 2

Red blood cell (RBC) testing — can show minerals and toxic elements taken up into RBCs, which is a good indicator of ‘tissue levels’

Question 3

Urine testing

Answer 3

Urine testing — either looking for organic metabolites, or pure excretion (organic acid testing or toxic metal profiles).

Question 4

Hair mineral testing

Answer 4

Hair mineral testing — to see what minerals have been laid down in the hair

Question 5

Serum vitamin B12 and serum folate

Answer 5

• B12: The ‘active form’ of B12 is holotranscobalamin.
• Homocysteine is a functional biomarker for low B9 and B12.
• Methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a more sensitive index of B12 status compared to serum B12. It can be tested via serum and urine. The most common cause of raised MMA in the urine is vitamin B12 deficiency

Question 6

Serum ferritin (iron storage capacity)

Answer 6

More accurate than testing serum iron. Optimal ranges will differ (e.g., male, female, child), but they are approx. 30-100 ug / L.

Question 7

Vitamin D3

Answer 7

Vitamin D3: Optimal levels of over 75 nmol / L, but many practitioners prefer it between 100 nmol / L to 150 nmol / L

Question 8

Serum magnesium

Answer 8

Serum magnesium: Will only show up a very frank deficiency — consider testing cellular levels instead