Iron Binding Capacity
ug/dL
Iron Binding Capacity is an important biomarker for health assessment.
Optimal Range
40.00 - 190.00 ug/dl
optimal 85.00 - 130.00 ug/dL
EssentialAdvancedMax
Micronutrient deficiencies are surprisingly common even in people who eat well. This panel measures vitamins, minerals, and iron metabolism markers so you can identify gaps, optimise supplementation, and support your body's essential processes.
Iron Binding Capacity is an important biomarker for health assessment.
Optimal Range
40.00 - 190.00 ug/dl
optimal 85.00 - 130.00 ug/dL
Ferritin serves as the body's iron storage system and early indicator of iron status. Optimal levels ensure adequate iron availability for oxygen transport and energy production while preventing iron overload.
Optimal Range
Male: 20-300 ng/mL
optimal 50-150 ng/mL
Female: 15-200 ng/mL
optimal 30-100 ng/mL
Serum iron reflects the iron currently available for transport and utilization. It must be interpreted alongside other iron markers for accurate assessment of iron status.
Optimal Range
Male: 65-175 μg/dL
optimal 80-150 μg/dL
Female: 50-170 μg/dL
optimal 70-140 μg/dL
Calcium is fundamental for bone health, muscle function, and nerve transmission, with levels tightly regulated by parathyroid hormones.
Optimal Range
9.5-10.5 mg/dL
optimal 9.8-10.2 mg/dL for bone and cardiovascular health
Total 25(OH)D is the gold standard for assessing vitamin D status, crucial for immune function, bone health, and longevity.
Optimal Range
30-100 ng/mL (75-250 nmol/L)
optimal 40-80 ng/mL for longevity and disease prevention
Iron saturation provides the most sensitive assessment of iron adequacy and utilization efficiency in the body.
Optimal Range
20-50%
optimal 25-40% for iron utilization efficiency
Nutrients Vitamins & Minerals
Nutrients Vitamins & Minerals
Folate supports DNA synthesis, cardiovascular health, and optimal methylation. Adequate levels are crucial for pregnancy, mental health, and overall cellular function.
Optimal Range
>3.0 ng/mL
optimal 8-20 ng/mL
Vitamin B12 is essential for neurological function, energy production, and DNA synthesis. Deficiency can cause irreversible damage, making early detection and correction critical.
Optimal Range
300-900 pg/mL
optimal 500-800 pg/mL
RBC magnesium provides accurate assessment of intracellular magnesium status, crucial for energy production, cardiovascular health, and optimal enzymatic function.
Optimal Range
4.2-6.8 mg/dL
optimal 5.5-6.5 mg/dL
Minerals
Micronutrients — vitamins and minerals — are the cofactors, coenzymes, and structural components that enable the estimated 37.2 trillion biochemical reactions occurring in the human body every second. Unlike macronutrients that provide energy, micronutrients enable the chemical transformations that convert food into function. Vitamin D activates over 1,000 genes. B12 enables DNA synthesis and myelin production. Magnesium participates in over 300 enzymatic reactions. Iron enables haemoglobin to carry oxygen. Without adequate levels, these processes falter silently.
Subclinical micronutrient deficiency — levels below optimal but above the clinical threshold for deficiency disease — is strikingly common in industrialised countries despite caloric abundance. A 2021 CDC analysis found over 90% of Americans fail to meet dietary targets for vitamin D, calcium, and potassium. Ageing, chronic disease, medications, GI conditions, and restrictive diets all amplify depletion. Blood testing is the only reliable method to know your actual status — dietary recall and supplementation without data leads to both under- and over-supplementation.
Nutrients health does not exist in isolation — it is deeply intertwined with every major system.
Vitamins D, C, and zinc are essential for both innate and adaptive immune responses. Vitamin D modulates T-regulatory cell activity, reducing autoimmune reactivity while maintaining pathogen defences. Severe vitamin D deficiency (below 20 ng/mL) is associated with a 2× increased risk of respiratory infections. Zinc deficiency impairs neutrophil and natural killer cell function; even mild deficiency reduces cytokine production by 30–50%. Iron deficiency impairs lymphocyte proliferation and reduces bactericidal activity of neutrophils.
B vitamins (B6, B9/folate, B12) are central to neurotransmitter synthesis and methylation pathways. B12 is required for myelin sheath formation — deficiency causes progressive nerve demyelination with symptoms of neuropathy, ataxia, and cognitive decline. Folate deficiency increases homocysteine and is independently associated with depression. Vitamin D receptors are found throughout the brain, including regions governing mood; low vitamin D is correlated with higher depression and seasonal affective disorder prevalence. Magnesium modulates NMDA receptor activity and is often depleted in anxiety disorders.
Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin K2 together govern bone mineralisation. Vitamin D drives intestinal calcium absorption; without it, bone absorbs calcium from itself (resorption) regardless of dietary intake. Vitamin K2 directs calcium into bone rather than arterial walls, reducing vascular calcification risk. Magnesium is an underappreciated bone mineral — 50% of total body magnesium is in bone. Vitamin C is the essential cofactor for collagen synthesis, required for tendon, ligament, bone matrix, and skin integrity.
The mitochondrial electron transport chain that generates ATP requires iron-sulphur clusters, copper, CoQ10, B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5), and magnesium as essential cofactors. Iron deficiency impairs mitochondrial function before anaemia develops, explaining why people with low-normal haemoglobin but low ferritin experience fatigue. B12 and folate deficiency disrupt methylation pathways that regulate gene expression and cellular repair. Iodine deficiency, by impairing thyroid hormone synthesis, slows mitochondrial activity throughout the body.
Clinical Note
Micronutrient testing should use the most clinically meaningful assay for each nutrient. Serum B12 measures total B12 but misses functional deficiency — methylmalonic acid (MMA) and homocysteine are more sensitive indicators. Serum magnesium is poorly reflective of tissue stores; RBC magnesium is preferred. 25(OH)D is the correct vitamin D test; 1,25(OH)2D should only be tested in specific clinical contexts.
Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) is measured as 25(OH)D in the blood. Conventional labs flag deficiency below 20 ng/mL and insufficiency below 30 ng/mL. However, most functional medicine and research evidence supports an optimal range of 50–80 ng/mL for broad health benefits including immune regulation, bone mineralisation, mood support, reduced cancer risk, and reduced all-cause mortality. An estimated 41% of US adults are deficient. Blood testing is the only reliable way to know your level — sun exposure and dietary intake are highly variable predictors.
Ferritin is the primary iron storage protein in the body, reflecting iron reserves in bone marrow, liver, and spleen. Haemoglobin only falls once iron stores are significantly depleted — ferritin declines weeks to months earlier. Low ferritin (below 20–30 ng/mL) causes fatigue, hair loss, restless legs, and impaired exercise performance even when haemoglobin is technically normal. Optimal ferritin for energy and hair health is 50–100 ng/mL. Elevated ferritin above 300 ng/mL (men) or 200 ng/mL (women) can indicate iron overload, inflammation, or metabolic liver disease.
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes neurological and haematological problems that develop gradually. Early signs include fatigue, weakness, and peripheral tingling or numbness. Advanced deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia (large, immature red cells), balance problems, memory impairment, and in severe cases, irreversible nerve damage. Vegetarians, vegans, older adults (due to reduced intrinsic factor), people on metformin, and those with celiac or Crohn's disease are at highest risk. Optimal serum B12 is above 500 pg/mL — the conventional lower limit of 200 pg/mL misses many symptomatic cases.
Serum magnesium represents only about 1% of total body magnesium — most is stored in bones and soft tissue. The body tightly regulates blood levels at the expense of intracellular stores, meaning serum magnesium can appear normal while tissue deficiency exists. An estimated 45–75% of people in developed countries have insufficient magnesium intake. Symptoms of deficiency include muscle cramps, insomnia, anxiety, constipation, migraines, and elevated blood pressure. RBC magnesium (red blood cell magnesium) is a more accurate reflection of cellular stores than serum magnesium.
Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) measures the blood's capacity to transport iron by assessing the protein transferrin, which carries iron through circulation. In iron deficiency, the liver produces more transferrin to capture every available iron molecule — so TIBC rises while serum iron falls. Transferrin saturation (serum iron ÷ TIBC × 100) is one of the most reliable individual iron status markers, with optimal saturation between 25–35%. Low saturation below 20% with elevated TIBC and low ferritin confirms iron-deficiency. High saturation above 45–50% with elevated ferritin may indicate hereditary haemochromatosis.
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