Table of Contents
Vitamins are important molecules that make up the entire body of a human being. Certain vitamins are essential for bone health, others support your muscular system and others still are vital for the optimal functioning of your heart.
But do you have enough vitamins in your body? Even if you take a multivitamin and multimineral supplement alongside having a healthy and balanced diet, chances are that you might still lack certain vitamins.
There's only one way to find out - taking a vitamin test. Keep reading to find out more about them and what they do.
What Are Vitamin Tests and How They Can Help You?
Just as the name implies, a vitamin test uses a blood sample to look at the levels of different important vitamins in your body. Most tests use a blood sample but for some of them, you can also use a saliva sample.
Testing your vitamin levels is important for various reasons. First of all, you might experience certain symptoms and your doctor might tell you to do a vitamin test. Depending on the results, you might need to supplement with certain vitamins to alleviate your symptoms.
At the same time, vitamin tests and subsequent treatment options can prevent various types of diseases. For example, not having enough vitamin C can compromise your immune system. Getting a vitamin C supplement might be able to protect you from common colds and the flu.
What Types of Vitamin Tests Can You Do?
There are multiple types of vitamin tests you can do, depending on your preferences and symptoms. Let's take a look at some of the most common ones.
RBC Magnesium and RBC Zinc Tests
You probably know already that magnesium is an important element in your body. It helps regulate more than 300 functions including how your muscles and nerves work. You can take magnesium from different food sources, but you can also take it as a supplement.
A standard magnesium test looks at how much magnesium is circulating in your blood. Although this is important information, it's not completely accurate. Your body is an intelligent system that pulls magnesium from red blood cells when the circulating levels are low.
As a result, you might have normal magnesium levels in the blood, but a magnesium deficiency in your cells. The RBC magnesium test takes a deeper look at your magnesium levels to identify if you need more of this element or not.
The same story applies to RBC zinc. This element is vital, especially for men. It's directly linked to testosterone production, libido, and the building of muscle mass. If you have a zinc deficiency, you might not perform optimally in bed or the gym.
Similar to magnesium, your body takes more zinc from the cells when necessary. This is okay, but only a temporary solution. The RBC zinc test reveals if your cells are depleted of zinc. The test requires a single blood sample and it can provide important insight into your body's zinc stores.
Glutathione is another important element in the human body. In fact, researchers have discovered that this peptide is present in virtually all human cells. It's formed by combining three amino acids to form a peptide.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and low levels of it might indicate serious diseases. For example, low levels of glutathione have been commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and a host of other life-threatening health problems.
At the same time, too much glutathione in your body can also be a bad thing. That's why it's so important to test for it and see how much glutathione there is in your body. Regular consumers of alcohol can easily deplete their glutathione levels, so if you like to drink, it's highly recommended to take a glutathione test.
Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 Tests
Vitamin D is also known as the "sun vitamin" because it's metabolized by your skin as a result of exposure to sunlight. However, getting enough vitamin D can be problematic if you don't get enough sun exposure.
It's particularly important to get enough of this vitamin as it plays a vital role in your immune system, regulates calcium and other minerals in your body, keeps your muscles strong, and more. If you don't get enough vitamin D from foods, you might take it as a supplement.
This test allows you to see if you're vitamin D deficient and whether you should start supplementation or not.
Vitamin B12 also plays a key role in your body. It keeps your nervous system healthy and regulates energy levels throughout the day. Getting enough vitamin B12 is essential and this test will tell you if you're deficient or not.
What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin Deficiency?
Your body will show some signs when you have low or high levels of certain vitamins. It's important to pay attention to these signs and take action as soon as possible. Here are some of the most common symptoms of vitamin imbalances.
- Brittle hair - this usually is accompanied by brittle nails too and it might be a sign that you don't have enough biotin or vitamin B7.
- Anemia - when you are chronically tired, it might be caused by a low level of iron in your body. This leads to anemia and many other health problems.
- Poor night vision - when your vision deteriorates, especially night vision, this could be a sign of too little vitamin A in your system.
- Muscles spasms and tingling - many health conditions might lead to muscle spasms including a lack of B vitamins, too little magnesium, or too little zinc.
Shop for Vitamin Tests Online Today!
If you have one or more of these symptoms, don't wait for the complications to arise. Healthy food and vitamin supplements are pretty much everywhere these days, so your deficiencies can be treated easily.
You just have to know what vitamin imbalances you might have in your body. One of the best ways to find that out is to order your vitamin tests from DiscountedLabs.com today and speak to your doctor for advice.