Vitamins are essential in maintaining your body’s health. Your body requires that certain vitamins and minerals be present to maintain critical systems including your organs, skin, bone, and muscle. Vitamins also provide assistance in using chemical energy obtained from food to help process carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Vitamins are generally obtained from the food that you eat or supplements, but a few are obtained by other means. For example, Vitamin K is produced by microorganisms in your intestine and Vitamin D is made by your skin with the help of sunlight (recent research has shown that Vitamin D plays a larger role in body functions than originally known).
Even with taking supplements and eating properly, some individuals do not get enough of one of the essential minerals needed for good health. Baselines can be established through these tests so that levels can be monitored for any future changes that may take place. Some people order vitamin testing prior to beginning supplements and then again after a few months to monitor progress.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is needed by your body to make red blood cells, maintain a healthy brain and nervous system, and make DNA. Good dietary sources of vitamin B12 include meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and shellfish. The vitamin B12 blood test is usually performed at the same time as a folic acid test because a lack of either can lead to common a type of anemia.
Vegetarians who do not eat animal products are at increased risk for developing anemia and should take a vitamin B12 supplement. Additionally, women with a vitamin B12 deficiency may have a higher risk of giving birth to a baby with a serious birth defect, such as spine Bifida. A severe vitamin B12 deficiency can even lead to permanent brain and nerve damage.
Recent research has shown that increased levels of vitamin B12 in older adults can protect against brain atrophy or shrinkage, associated with Alzheimer's disease or mental impairment.
Vitamin A, Serum
Vitamin A, also called retinol, is fat-soluble alcohol that plays an important role in vision, bone growth, cell growth, reproduction, and keeping your eyes, skin, and mucous membranes healthy. Vitamin A also helps regulate your immune system and helps lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) function more effectively in fighting infections.
Vitamin A comes mainly from animal-based foods such as liver, eggs, and whole milk. However, some plant-based foods (typically colorful fruits and vegetables) provide beta carotene which the body converts into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is thought to be a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage by neutralizing free radicals that could potentially lead to cancer or chronic disease.
In the United States, vitamin A deficiency can result from serious dietary problems, excess alcohol intake, or a severe zinc deficiency. A Vitamin A deficiency diminishes the ability to fight infections and can lead to blindness by damaging the retina and cornea. Night blindness is typically one of the first signs of a vitamin A deficiency.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble vitamins that are found in a few foods including eggs, fish, and liver, and added to others such as vitamin D fortified milk. It is also produced by your body when sunlight strikes your skin. Vitamin D serves an important function in maintaining healthy organs and bones. Vitamin D has also been shown to prevent or treat cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as potentially have beneficial effects for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's.
Recent research has suggested vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in at least seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, autoimmune diseases, periodontal disease, and more.
Vitamin D undergoes two hydroxylation’s in your body for activation. The first is in the liver where vitamin D is converted to vitamin D 25-hydroxy. The second occurs in the kidney and creates vitamin D, 1, 25-hydroxy.
The concentration of vitamin D 25-hydroxy is the best indicator of your vitamin D status. It reflects vitamin D produced and obtained by your body and has a half-life of 15 days. However, vitamin D 25-hydroxy levels do not indicate the amount of vitamin D stored in your body’s tissues. Vitamin D, 1, 25-hydroxy is a better indicator of stored vitamin D but because it has a short half-life of 15 hours levels in the blood do not typically decrease until an individual’s vitamin D deficiency is severe.
Vitamin E, Serum
Vitamin E is the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds with antioxidant properties. Vitamin E has been proposed for the prevention or treatment of many health conditions including cancer and heart disease.
Vitamin E it is currently being recommended to protect your skin from ultraviolet light, prevent cell damage from free radicals, and even protect against prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Folate (Folic Acid)
The folate Vitamin B9 (folic acid) test measures the amount of folate in the blood. Folate and folic acid are forms of the B9 vitamin. Folate is found in many foods and folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin. Good dietary sources of folate include leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, beans, whole grain products, and organ meat such as the liver.
A deficiency of this essential vitamin may cause physical symptoms such as fatigue, sleepiness, depressed mood, weight loss, breathing difficulties, gastrointestinal problems, and mouth sores in some people. Folic acid works with vitamin B12 and vitamin C help to create new proteins, red blood cells, and DNA. Folic acid also helps tissues to grow, cells to work properly, and even helps prevent certain birth defects, including spine Bifida.
Adults and children both require sufficient amounts of folic acid to produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anemia. Because folic acid is water-soluble it cannot be stored in the body and any amounts of the vitamin that are not absorbed by your body leave the body through urine. This means that you should have a steady supply of folic acid in your diet or through dietary supplements.
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