Nutrient & Mineral Deficiency Tests
Why should you take a nutrient deficiency test? Ideally, a balanced diet provides us with all the nutrients that our body needs. In reality, however, our body can often lack nutrients, with vitamins such as vitamin D and B12, minerals such as magnesium, zinc, iron or iodine, or the essential Omega 3 fatty a Read more...
Nutrient deficiency are common
Not everyone follows a healthy and balanced diet, and often a stressful day-to-day life, bad habits or allergies and intolerances can get in the way. Diseases can also cause us not to absorb or excessively consume certain vitamins and minerals. As one example, if you do a lot of sports, you usually consume more minerals. With magnesium serving as a fuel for the muscles and zinc being lost in sweat, athletes need more of both than other people. Vegetarians and vegans, on the other hand, often take in too little vitamin B12, which is mainly found in animal products.
A special case is vitamin D: Our body needs the UVB radiation present in sunlight to produce this vitamin. Since we spend a lot of time in enclosed spaces these days, live in northern latitudes, and especially in winter receive only a small amount of sunshine, a vitamin D deficiency is widespread in our society.
How to recognise a nutrient deficiency
A lack of nutrients is only very clearly apparent in rare cases - for example, when an acute magnesium deficiency can lead to the dreaded nocturnal leg cramping. Often symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dry skin and hair loss occur. We often do not associate this with nutrients until serious health problems arise from the deficiency.
For example, vitamin B12 deficiency develops over years while the stores of the vitamin are slowly depleted. We usually do not perceive this, but over time, the deficiency can lead to anaemia, nerve damage and depression. It is similar with many other deficiency symptoms.
Test for nutrient deficiency
The cerascreen® nutrient tests are simple sample taking and mail-in test kits that can be conducted at the convenience of your home. To take a nutrient and mineral deficiency test with the test kits. you will need to take a blood or urine sample (depending on the test) and mail in in to our medical partner laboratory by using the free return envelope. Once your sample has been evaluated, you will receive a detailed, individual results report. The results report will tell you, how well you are supplied with the respective nutrient and whether it the measured level lies within the expected healthy range. You will also be provided with personalised recommendations on how to supply your body with the needed nutrients, minerals or vitamins.
Should the test results indicate a nutrient deficiency, you can actively counteract this by changing your diet. In the case of an iodine deficiency, for example, habitual use of iodine-containing salt may suffice. An iron deficiency requires a bigger dietary change, since a lot of iron is contained in eggs, liver, legumes and whole grains. Some nutrients can best be added by taking supplements, such as vitamin D, which is scarcely found in foods. Since a severe deficiency can also be a sign of a disease, you should consult with your GP in case you have any doubts.
