Full Description
WHY VIBRANT?
- Vibrant’s patented technology and reporting allow for high sensitivity quantitative detection of intracellular micronutrients.
- Vibrant provides both Extracellular and Intracellular testing for a thorough understanding of your short-term and long term nutritional status and requirements.
- High Accuracy and high precision testing enabled by automation and advanced testing methodologies.
- Clinically relevant RBC Folate, Omega fatty acids and Magnesium are measured.
- WBC levels are normalized to total WBC count.
- Fast TAT of 14 calendar days.
- Support team: highly qualified expert dietitians available to provide support on dietary plans and supplementation for patients.
- Advanced reporting with easy to interpret results and repletion suggestions.
- Comprehensive back up testing to identify potential sources of malabsorption.
WHY NOT SIMPLY TAKE ADDITIONAL MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTS?
Though it would seem obvious to boost the body’s nutrients with one of the many commercially available supplements, the human body is more complex than that. Plenty of evidence exists to show that micronutrient excess can also cause harm and long-term supplement intake can risk excessive levels.
Certain nutrients perform best in the presence of other nutrients. For example, the body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Certain nutrients may perform counteractive functions. For example, beta-carotene and vitamin C enhance iron absorption, while calcium and polyphenols appear to reduce the absorption of iron. 8
Also, numerous factors can affect proper nutrient absorption:
Potential genetic abnormalities | Tobacco and alcohol use | The type of foods you eat, as well as what they contain | Medical conditions |
Intestine or stomach resection | Parasite infections | Prescription medications | Intestinal bacteria imbalance |
HOW DO YOU ORDER VIBRANT’S MICRONUTRIENTS TEST?
Vibrant’s micronutrients test is only available to order through your provider. Please contact us at (714) 864-3730 or pe@anti-fragilityhealth.com to order your test.
ADVANCED INFORMATION
1. WHAT ARE MICRONUTRIENTS?
Micronutrients, as opposed to macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), are comprised of vitamins and minerals which are required in small quantities to ensure normal metabolism, growth and physical well‐being.
VITAMINS
These are essential organic nutrients, most of which are not made in the body, or only in insufficient amounts, and usually must be obtained through food. When dietary intake of a vitamin is inadequate, deficiency disorders result. Although vitamins are only present and required in minute quantities, compared to the macronutrients, they are just as vital to health and need to be considered in the context of nutrition quality.
MINERALS
These are inorganic nutrients that also play a key role in ensuring health and well‐ being. They include the trace elements copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc together with the macro elements calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. As with vitamins, minerals are found in small quantities within the body and they are obtained from a wide variety of foods.
No single food contains all of the vitamins and minerals we need and, therefore, a balanced and varied diet is necessary for an adequate intake of all micronutrients.
EXTRACELLULAR MICRONUTRIENTS
Micronutrients that are free floating in your blood and exist outside the cells, determined in serum are called extracellular micronutrients.
These extracellular micronutrients are a static measure of what is in your blood at any given time. These are dependent on your short-term intake of supplements or diet and give a direct assessment of your baseline micronutrient levels.
Extracellular nutrient tests reflect a person’s diet over a relatively narrow time frame.
INTRACELLULAR MICRONUTRIENTS
Intracellular micronutrients are the micronutrients absorbed by your circulating white blood cells and red blood cells.
Cellular micronutrient absorption is an important step in maintaining and promoting optimal functioning of all our cells.
It is important to understand that, even though you may be consuming an adequate or healthy diet or supplements, your cellular intake levels of those nutrients may not be sufficient and may still provide risks for deficiencies and the disorders associated with them.
Your genetics, aging, lifestyle, chronic illness, and medications all affect your cellular nutrient absorption. The intracellular portion of Vibrant’s micronutrient test takes all the above factors into consideration to identify your cellular nutrient absorption status. This test can reveal a person’s functional nutritional status over a much longer time (4-6 months) than extracellular testing.
2. ROLE OF MICRONUTRIENTS
Almost every physiological function in your body requires micronutrients to function optimally. Vitamin, minerals and anti-oxidants play a key role in:
- Producing and releasing energy.
- Strengthening the immune system.
- Reducing systemic inflammation.
- Protecting against free radical damage.
- Maintaining a healthy hormonal balance (i.e. thyroid, sex hormones, adrenal hormones, neurotransmitters/brain hormones, etc.).
- Maintaining insulin sensitivity.
- Slowing down cellular aging.
- Promoting the health of all tissues: skin, bone, brain, breast, gut, prostate, heart, muscle, organs, etc.
- Protecting against the development, progression, and recurrence of cancer.
3. WHY TEST FOR MICRONUTRIENTS?
THE BENEFITS OF EXTRACELLULAR TESTING INCLUDE: |
THE BENEFITS OF INTRACELLULAR TESTING INCLUDE: |
Extracellular micronutrients have been well studied and deficiencies have correlated to multiple chronic diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. 1,2,3,4. Testing extracellular micronutrients also play a role in patient management for such chronic diseases. |
Intracellular micronutrients have been studied scientifically and have long been considered a more sensitive tissue measure of micronutrient absorption. For example, vitamin C levels in lymphocytes have been found to be deficient in Type 2 diabetes patients as compared to plasma levels. 5 RBC folate and magnesium are clinically more significant than whole blood measures of these nutrients. 6 RBC omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels have been found to be markers of accelerated structural and cognitive aging. 7 |
Knowing both your extracellular and intracellular micronutrient levels are key to a thorough understanding of your nutritional requirements at a foundational level, which may contribute to your risk for disease, while simultaneously and positively impacting your overall health and well-being.
Usage Directions
WHO SHOULD RUN THE VIBRANT MICRONUTRIENTS TEST?
This testing would be most beneficial if you:
A. Suffer from | B. Are experiencing | C. Have a history of | D. Are Someone who is a |
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WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LAB?
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Intracellular WBC levels are normalized to the total WBC count in a patient’s sample. This normalization is a key step in ensuring minimal variability in results due to specimen differences. Because there are no external stimuli provided to stimulate the cells, all variabilities involved in such processes are removed, thereby providing the most accurate and quantitative method available for intracellular testing.
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