Micronutrients Panel

What is the Micronutrients Panel Test?

The Micronutrients Panel from Vibrant America is the only test that provides a comprehensive extracellular and intracellular assessment of the levels of the most important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids, and amino acids.

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals required in small quantities to ensure normal metabolism, growth, and physical well‐being.

• Vitamins are essential organic nutrients, most of which are not made in the body and must be obtained from food.
• Minerals are inorganic nutrients that play a key role in an individual’s health. They are found in trace or small quantities in the body and are obtained from food.
  

Intracellular and Extracellular Micronutrients

Micronutrients can also be divided into intracellular and extracellular micronutrients. 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.

• Extracellular micronutrients are free-floating in the blood and exist outside the cells. They can be determined in serum as a static measure of what is in the blood at any given time. Thus, they depend on the short-term intake of supplements or diet reflecting a person’s diet over a relatively narrow time frame.
• Intracellular micronutrients are the micronutrients absorbed by the circulating white and red blood cells. This is an important step in maintaining and promoting the optimal functioning of all our cells.
  

Although a patient may be consuming an adequate or healthy diet or supplements, the cellular intake levels may not be sufficient and may still represent a risk for deficiencies and disorders associated with them.

Almost every physiological function in the body requires micronutrients for optimal function. They are required for producing and releasing energy, strengthening the immune system, reducing systemic inflammation, protecting against free radical damage, maintaining a healthy hormonal balance, maintaining insulin sensitivity, slowing down cellular aging, promoting the health of all tissues, protecting against the development, progression, and recurrence of cancer.

An individual’s genetics, lifestyle, aging, chronic illness, and medication consumption affect cellular nutrient absorption. The intracellular analysis of the Micronutrients Panel considers all this to identify your cellular nutrient absorption status. The test can reveal a person’s functional nutritional status over a longer time (4-6 months) than extracellular testing.

Which Patients is the Micronutrients Panel Test Best Used For?

• The test is recommended for individuals who suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, arthritis, skin problems, numbness/tingling in your hands or feet, weakened immune system, digestive issues/disorders like celiac, wheat sensitivity, IBS, IBD, and SIBO.
• It is also recommended for patients experiencing advanced aging, stress, tiredness, or suffering chronic fatigue and depression.
• Individuals with a history of long-term use of prescription medications, poor diet, and obesity should also consider this test.
• People on special diets such as Vegan or Vegetarian athletes or individuals who exercise regularly may also want to request this test.
  

What Does Micronutrients Panel Test Measure?

The test measures 40 different vitamins and minerals with the addition of amino acids and fatty acids, RBC, and Omega fatty acids. White Blood Cells (WBC) levels are normalized to the total WBC count for the analysis.

What Type of Sample is Needed to Complete the Micronutrients Panel Test?

Three tubes of blood will need to be drawn for the test. It is recommended to stay off supplements for a week before taking this test, and it is not necessary to fast before a blood draw.