“Take your vitamins” may seem like advice for growing kids, but it’s important for adult health management too. Here are some findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s latest data:
- Over 30 million (10%) of Americans have a vitamin deficiency
- 32% of adults are vitamin B6 deficient
- 95% are vitamin D deficient
- 61% have a magnesium deficiency
A vitamin and mineral test is essential to maintaining your total body health.
You don’t need a prescription and a costly doctor’s visit. Our services are fast, easy, and secure and will get you the results you need.
A vitamin test is simple, but it can be challenging to know which test you should choose and why. Read on for our vitamin test guide so you can make informed choices on the right test for you.
What Are Vitamin & Mineral Tests?
A balanced intake of vitamins and minerals generally comes from a healthy diet or supplements if there are dietary restrictions. These vitamins and minerals include the following:
- Vitamins: A, C, D, E, and K
- B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12
- Minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, folate, and zinc
Vitamin and mineral tests use a sample of your blood to test for the levels of vitamins and minerals circulating in your body. A phlebotomist at an authorized patient service center will draw your blood and forward the specimen to a national laboratory for testing.
Once the specimen arrives at the lab, testing will begin, and results will post to your online patient portal within a couple of days as the lab completes testing.
Benefits of Vitamin & Mineral Lab Testing
Vitamins and minerals play a role in our bodies' functions, from bone density to brain functions. They’re also related to chronic diseases and health conditions, such as:
- Osteoporosis
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Autoimmune disease
- Anemia
- Depression
- Bone loss
Most people don’t actively monitor their vitamin and mineral intake. A vitamin and mineral test determines if you have a deficiency or are at risk for developing one.
A vitamin deficiency can be an early warning sign you’re developing serious health issues. If caught early, many conditions like diabetes and anemia can be avoided. A fast response is always the best response.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and the world. A healthy intake of essential vitamins and minerals can mitigate risk factors for heart disease.
Vitamin & Mineral Tests for Your Health
At Ulta Lab Tests, we offer four main vitamin and minerals blood tests:
The Vitamins & Minerals - Basic panel includes 4 tests and 6 biomarkers. This test looks for anemia. The serum folate markers ensure your recent diet is providing accurate results.
The Vitamins & Minerals - Basic Plus panel has 8 tests and 13 biomarkers. Along with anemia, it has a vitamin D test that can help determine if health issues like depression are related to a vitamin deficiency.
The Vitamins & Minerals - Advanced panel has 22 tests with 115 biomarkers. It tests for multiple deficiencies along with a urinalysis test for the levels of your white and red blood counts.
The Vitamins & Minerals - Comprehensive panel has 24 tests and 34 biomarkers. It offers a full range of testing for over twenty essential vitamins and minerals.
Depending on your symptoms, you may need only a basic panel or a urinalysis with a vitamin blood test.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamin Tests
Getting a vitamin and mineral test is easy to do and comes with many benefits. You take active control of your health and ensure you get the necessary nutritional intake needed to prevent certain health issues from developing.
But you may still be unsure why a vitamin test is necessary if you eat plenty of food and don’t have dietary restrictions. Or you may not know what to do if it reveals a deficiency.
How Will a Vitamin Test Help You?
American diets are notoriously high in fat, sugar, and salt and low in nutritional value.
In our fast-paced workaholic culture, processed food and fast food is the norm. Millions of Americans even live in food deserts where healthy food is not accessible.
You may have mental and physical health symptoms without connecting them to a deficiency. Your symptoms can also mimic health issues you already know about.
FOR EXAMPLE, Vitamin D deficiency correlates with depression, and many of their symptoms (fatigue, body aches) are the same. Only a vitamin D blood test can reveal the underlying cause of your symptoms.
Other symptoms of vitamin deficiencies include:
- Mood shifts
- Personality changes
- Insomnia
- Muscle weakness or cramps
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea and upset digestion
Even if you have access to plenty of food, it may not be the best quality for vitamin intake. It’s easy to develop a vitamin deficiency even in countries that have low rates of food insecurity.
Vitamin D deficiencies are especially prevalent. Almost every adult would benefit from a vitamin D test alone.
What Should You Do if Your Test Reveals a Deficiency?
Fortunately, low vitamin and mineral levels are usually easy to correct.
You might need to make minor adjustments to your diet or take vitamin and mineral supplements in most cases. Some doctors may even prescribe your supplements. You can get tested again a few months later to make sure the adjustments are working.
If your deficiency is a sign of serious health issues, a vitamin and mineral test will show what further specific tests are needed. A lack of vitamin absorption, even if you have a healthy intake, indicates a potential problem.
Both Chron's and celiac disease, for example, interfere with the absorption of B12. It’s important to understand your test results and what they could mean to your health.
Benefits of Vitamin and Mineral Testing with Ulta Lab Tests
Ulta Lab Tests offers highly accurate and reliable tests so that you can make informed decisions about your health. There are many great things to love about Ulta Lab Tests:
- Secure and confidential results
- No health insurance required
- No physician's referral required
- Affordable pricing
- Your 100% satisfaction guaranteed
Order your vitamin and mineral test today. Your results will be provided to you securely and confidentially online in 24 to 48 hours for most tests and 5-7 business days for complex lab tests.
Take control with Ulta Lab Tests today!
