Nutritional deficiencies can cause several serious health issues, including anemia. Anemia is a condition in which the blood doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues and organs. It can result from an imbalanced diet or certain health conditions or treatments. This condition can affect a person’s overall health and ability to function from day to day.

Nutritional deficiency can be diagnosed by testing the levels of key vitamins, folate and iron in the blood. This is one of the best ways to gain insights about the way your diet is impacting your overall wellness and body function.

This is what the test will measure:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced in the skin as a response to sunlight and is crucial to your physical wellbeing. It is often referred to as the ‘sunshine’ vitamin and is important for maintaining healthy teeth, muscles, and bones, as it helps the body absorb calcium. Feeling fatigued and sluggish is probably the most common sign of vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that helps the body create DNA, nourishes the brain and nervous system, and assists with the formation of healthy red blood cells. Left untreated, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal problems, nerve damage and mood disturbances.

Magnesium

A magnesium test is used to measure the amount of magnesium in your blood serum. Magnesium is a metallic element mainly found in the bones, used by every organ in the body and is essential to life. It supports proper muscle, nerve, and enzyme function, it helps your body make and use energy, and it is needed to move other electrolytes (potassium and sodium) into and out of cells. Abnormal magnesium levels can occur in conditions that affect the functioning of your kidneys or intestines.

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the body, required for proper functioning of muscles, nerves, heart, as well as essential in blood clotting and bone formation. About 99% of calcium is found in the bones, while most of the rest circulates in the blood.

Albumin

Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A serum albumin test measures the amount of this protein in the clear liquid portion of the blood. The role of albumin is to stop fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, to nourish tissues, and carry hormones, vitamins, drugs, and ions throughout the body.

An albumin blood test checks your liver and kidney function. Low albumin levels might be the result of kidney disease, liver disease, inflammation or infections. High albumin levels are usually the result of dehydration or severe diarrhea.