At Rootine we are always looking for ways to further personalize your micronutrient formula and simplify the at-home lab testing process so you can better leverage your data to improve your health. We are excited to introduce our next generation of blood tests, which will fine-tune your formula and guide dosing to ensure you are receiving levels optimal for your body.
In this post, we will discuss our new Blood Vitamin Test, including what analytes (markers) are measured, why they matter to you, and how each impacts your daily Rootine formula.
Overview
- The Blood Vitamin Test is an at-home lab finger-prick test that analyzes blood serum levels of vitamin B9 (folate), B12, D, hs-CRP, and homocysteine.
- The results guide doses of vitamins B2, B6, B9, B12, D3, C, ALA, and omega-3s in your daily packs.
- Test results are typically ready in ~3 days.
Deep Dive
Vitamin B9
- Is a water soluble nutrient important for health cell growth and function, making it specifically important for red blood cell formation and during fetal development. It is found in green leafy vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
- Symptoms of deficiency include tiredness and lack of energy, low mood, and birth defects.
- The result of this test guides dosing for vitamin B9, including folic acid and methylfolate, in your daily formula.
Vitamin B12
- Is a water soluble nutrient that plays a key role in red blood cell formation, nerve function, DNA production, and cellular metabolism. Outside of fortified foods it is found in animal-based products such as beef, poultry, and dairy products.
- Symptoms of deficiency are similar to B9 deficiency, including weak muscles, irritability, numb or tingling extremities, and lack of energy.
- The results of this test guide dosing for vitamin B12, provided in the form of methylcobalamin, in your daily formula.
Vitamin D
- Is a fat soluble nutrient that functions like a hormone in the body. It is involved in calcium absorption, bone health, inflammation regulation, and immune system function. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish and other animal foods, and is also obtained through direct sunlight exposure to the skin.
- Symptoms of deficiency include weak or painful bones, getting sick often, fatigue and tiredness, low mood, and impaired wound healing.
- This test specifically looks at levels of 25(OH)D, the active metabolite of vitamin D in the body. The results guide dosing for vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in your daily formula.
hs-CRP
- hs-CRP is a “high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test,” which is more sensitive than a regular CRP test. A higher level of sensitivity provides a clearer insight into your body and helps us fine-tune nutrient doses. The test measures C-reactive protein, a protein produced by the liver that indicates general levels of inflammation within the body.
- Inflammation can indicate a current infection, progression into a disease state, impaired antioxidant capacity, or inflammatory disease. Symptoms include fatigue, low energy, stiff muscles and joints, skin rash, and headaches.
- The test result helps guide the dose for nutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, including vitamin C, ALA, and omega-3s in your daily formula.
Homocysteine
- Homocysteine is an amino acid found in your blood. High levels of homocysteine are an independent risk factor for heart disease, as elevated homocysteine can damage your blood vessels. B vitamins are involved in converting homocysteine into the benign amino acids cysteine and methionine, thus high levels of homocysteine are associated with low levels of B vitamins.
- Symptoms of elevated homocysteine levels include dizziness, weakness, fatigue, pale skin, sores on mouth and tongue, or tingling in the extremities.
- The test result provides additional context to the results of the B9 and B12 results, and helps guide doses of B9, B12, B2, and B6 in your daily formula.
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Why the new tests?
We took your feedback about our old tests, including poor turn around time and lack of nutrients tested, and created more inclusive testing with multiple options, including a Vitamin Test (~3 days), Mineral Test (~5 days), and new DNA Test (~5 days).