Why you should get a Vitamin Deficiency Test
Getting a Vitamin Deficiency Test is important for multiple reasons, vitamins, as a micronutrient, are essential for the overall health of your body and its normal functioning. Once you become deficient in vitamins, it can lead to health problems, here are some reasons why you should consider getting a Vitamin Deficiency Test.- Having a vitamin deficiency test will help you identify specific deficiencies in vitamins, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin C etc, early detection will allow for better intervention and effective treatment, which can prevent potential health issues that are associated with deficiencies.
- Through a vitamin deficiency test, you are able to diagnose the symptoms you are suffering from, because certain vitamin deficiencies can present with common symptoms, such as fatigue, weakness, hair loss, and skin issues, this test can help pinpoint what is causing those symptoms, and if they are specifically due to a vitamin deficiency.
- Chronic medical conditions can be monitored, and even prevented by a vitamin deficiency test, some studies have linked vitamin deficiencies to an increased risk of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Regular monitoring and testing can aid in monitoring and managing these risks.
How does a Vitamin Deficiency Test work?
A vitamin deficiency test is used to determine if a person has lower than normal levels of specific vitamins in the body, there are a variety of methods that is often used. Bioma offers a blood test, the most common method for assessing vitamin levels, we will collect a small sample of blood, either from a finger prick or a vein in your arm, this is then sent to our in-house laboratory for analysis, and you will typically receive results within 24 hours.
Symptoms of Vitamin Deficiency
The symptoms that you experience when you are deficient in vitamins depend on which vitamin you are specifically lacking, some common symptoms that are associated with specific vitamin deficiencies include:
- Vitamin A: Frequent Infections, dry eyes or skin, delayed wound healing, and poor vision in low light
- B Vitamins: Fatigue and weakness, anemia, numbness, difficulty concentrating, sore tongue.
- Vitamin C: Bruising easy, swollen or bleeding gums, fatigue, dry and scaly skin, joint and muscle pain.
- Vitamin D: Bone or back pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, fractures.
- Vitamin E: Weakened immune function, vision problems, muscle weakness, and anaemia.
- Vitamin K: Excessive bleeding from wounds, bruising and bleeding easily, heavy menstrual bleeding.
Treating & Preventing Deficiency
When treating vitamin deficiency, the specific vitamin that is lacking needs to be addressed, this treatment will vary depending on the severity of the deficiency, what its underlying cause is, and the individuals health condition.General approaches to treating vitamin deficiency may be recommended, such as improvement of your diet through including foods that a rich in the deficient vitamin of interest, which is a particularly good way in treating and preventing deficiency. For example, if you are deficient in vitamin C, try to incorporate more citrus fruits, berries, and vegetables into your diet, as these will be beneficial.
Due to the severity of the deficiency, sometimes dietary changes will not be sufficient enough alone to correct the deficiency, therefore, healthcare providers may recommend vitamin supplements to help raise your vitamin levels to a normal range. These supplements can be available in a variety of forms including tablets, capsules, and liquid.
Who is at Risk?
- Those who have an unbalanced diet that is lacking in whole, nutrient-dense foods, filled with vitamins, diets that are high in processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats will likely lack the vitamins needed to stay healthy.
- As people age, the ability to absorb certain vitamins can decline, and the dietary intake of these vitamins will decrease, increasing the risk of deficiency, elderly individuals have a higher chance of suffering from vitamin deficiency.
- Certain medications can interfere with the absorption of several vitamins, this can potentially lead to multiple deficiencies.
If you fall under any category that is of risk of a deficiency, and are concerned about your vitamin levels, you can take our vitamin deficiency test here.
