Nutrient Testing and Organic Acids

Metabolomics is the study of small molecules, known as metabolites, produced by an humans in response to the environment, including diet, lifestyle, and genetics. Metabolites are the end products of cellular processes, including digestion, metabolism, and detoxification, and provide a snapshot of an individual’s metabolic state at a given moment in time.

Metabolomics is a powerful tool for understanding the underlying biology of health and disease, as well as for identifying biomarkers of disease. By analyzing an individual’s unique metabolic profile, we can gain insights into how environmental and genetic factors interact to influence health and disease.

Metabolomics is commonly used in the fields of nutrition, toxicology, and clinical medicine to better understand the complex relationships between diet, lifestyle, and health. Metabolomics is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease by providing a more complete understanding of the metabolic changes that occur in response to various environmental and genetic factors.

Organic acids are a large part of metabolomic studies. The organic acid testing provides a view into the body’s cellular metabolic processes and the efficiency of metabolic function. Identifying metabolic blocks or problems with detoxification, gut dysbiosis, or oxidative stress that can be treated nutritionally allows for individual tailoring of interventions. Targeted treatment can help maximize patient responses and lead to improved patient outcomes.

Advantages of the Organic Acid Testing

  • Extensive Analyte List
  • Including markers such as Quinolinate, D-Arabinitol, and 8-Hydroxy-2′deoxyguanosine.
  • Innovative Method – The LC/MS-MS method, which is also used to screen newborns for metabolic disorders, requires very little sample preparation and processing. This technology provides more stability, accuracy, and sensitivity in measuring organic acids at low levels for optimum test results.
  • Single Urine Specimen – A single overnight urine collection is easy for patients, leading to increased patient compliance.

Why use an organic acid test?

Organic acids are metabolic intermediates produced in pathways of central energy production, detoxification, neurotransmitter breakdown, and intestinal microbial activity. Accumulation of specific organic acids in urine often signals a metabolic inhibition or block. This abnormality may be due to a nutrient deficiency, an inherited enzyme deficit, toxic build-up, or drug effect. Testing for organic acids helps reveal activity and changes at the metabolic level, helping practitioners discover hidden issues and pinpoint where therapeutic focus is needed.

The Organix Profile provides important information in the areas of:

  • Vitamin and mineral insufficiencies
  • Amino acid insufficiencies like carnitine and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)
  • Oxidative damage and antioxidant sufficiency markers
  • Indicators to assess detoxification sufficiency
  • The best functional markers of B-complex deficiency
  • Neurotransmitter metabolites to assess central nervous system (CNS)  function
  • Mitochondrial energy production assessment via citric acid cycle components
  • Methylation sufficiency status
  • Lipoic acid and CoQ10 sufficiency markers
  • Specific dysbiosis markers for bacterial and yeast overgrowth

The Organix Profiles can provide important information for treating certain conditions, including:

  • Fatigue
  • Sleep abnormalities
  • Mood changes
  • Blood sugar dysregulation
  • Weight gain
  • Nausea
  • Multiple chemical sensitivity
  • Bloating
  • Distention
  • Joint pain
  • Gas
  • Reflux
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • Dermatitis
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Cancer
  • Inflammation
  • Headaches
  • Early aging