The Organic Acids test (OAT) from Great Plains Laboratory provides a comprehensive metabolic analysis of a patient's overall health, including intestinal yeast and bacteria, vitamin and mineral levels, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter levels, and oxalates.
People with chronic illnesses and neurological disorders usually excrete several abnormal organic acids in their urine. Several causes can drive these high levels, including oral antibiotic use, immune deficiencies, high sugar diets, infections, and genetic factors.
Metabolic processes in the body produce organic acids from the digestion of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. These acids generate cellular energy and provide many fundamental pieces necessary for cell function.
Organic acids are, therefore, chemical compounds products of metabolism excreted in the urine.
The measurement of organic acids provides a way for the physician to perform a functional assessment of the patient nutrient status. A high accumulation of organic acids in urine can suggest a metabolic inhibition or block due to an inherited enzyme deficit, a nutrient deficiency, toxic build-up, or the consequence of a drug effect.
Vitamins and minerals are required for the correct functioning of the enzymes responsible for metabolizing organic acids. Thus, an increase in organic acids in the urine can reflect a functional need for these nutrients on a cellular and biochemical level, even when a serum analysis reflects normal results.
The results of the test can guide the physician with recommendations for nutrient supplementation.
The Organic Acids Test should be considered for those patients presenting symptoms such as:
Diseases Associated with Increased Organic Acid Levels:
The test analyzes over 76 markers in a urine sample. The analysis includes measuring Organic Acids and markers for vitamin and mineral levels, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter levels.
Importantly, this test also includes markers for oxalates, which are highly correlated with many chronic illnesses.
Almost all organic acids are measured by a combination of gas or liquid chromatography linked with mass spectrometry.
Organic acids are most commonly analyzed in urine since they are not reabsorbed in the kidney tubules after glomerular filtration. This is why organic acids in urine are often present at 100 times their concentration in the serum.
The Organic Acids Test (OAT) provides a comprehensive metabolic analysis of a patient's overall health, including intestinal yeast and bacteria, vitamin and mineral levels, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter levels, and oxalates.
