What Are Vitamins?

Vitamins are organic nutrients that come from food, and that are needed in very small amounts to maintain optimal health. In comparison to the major nutrients (fats, protein, and carbohydrates), we only need to get very small amounts from our diets. The functions of vitamins vary significantly in both type and number: some vitamins serve only one function, while others have many unrelated functions.

In general, vitamins are split into fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. The water-soluble vitamins include the B vitamins and vitamin C. Within a relatively short time of not taking vitamins in your diet, vitamin deficiencies and disease follow. Because vitamins are so crucial to the normal functioning of your body, vitamin deficiencies can result in a variety of problems.

Deficiencies occur for several reasons

As a rule, you are more likely to develop deficiencies if you are malnourished, are a chronic alcoholic, or suffer from malabsorption or digestive disorders. For example, if you have coeliac or Crohn’s disease, if you are elderly, and after gastric bypass surgery. However, strenuous physical exercise is often overlooked.

General reasons for deficiencies are:

• The need for the vitamin is increased, as in physical or emotional stress. This includes strenuous physical exercise
• There is an inadequate supply of the vitamin.
• Someone is unable to absorb the vitamin.
• Someone can absorb the vitamin, but cannot use it for some reason.
• A person eats food that prevents the vitamin from acting or being absorbed.
• Some vitamins rely on other vitamins to work properly. A deficiency in one vitamin or mineral can prevent the proper function of another.

Vitamin Tests are Your Personal Dipsticks

People are usually treated with vitamins for three reasons:

1. To treat an identified vitamin deficiency
2. To manage a possible deficiency
3. To reduce the risk of diseases.

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This is the same as adding oil to your car: (1) after checking your oil levels with a dipstick, (2) because you are not sure, and think “what harm can it do?”, and (3) because you have been told you should without knowing that if you overfill it, you could run into all kinds of trouble! Therefore, when specialist chemical tests are available to detect vitamin deficiencies, why would you want to risk the side effect of unnecessary treatment that could damage your health?

Effective supplements are available, but just like most of us wouldn’t top up our engine oil without doing a dipstick, you should make sure that you need supplementation first.

Repeat Tests

Only the fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s fat; any unused water-soluble vitamins are passed out in the urine. Therefore, normal levels can become abnormal over time. We recommend retesting to ensure that optimal levels are maintained.

What Will Our Vitamin Test Involve?

This test involves taking a small blood sample from a vein. We describe the process here . An overnight fast is recommended so that vitamin-fortified foods do not affect the test results.

What Could Abnormal Results Mean?

On its own, no test can provide a definitive diagnosis, and can only provide important “clues” about possible problems. Normal results cannot entirely exclude disease: for example, normal results can exist in patients with serious disease, and occasionally, abnormal results can arise without any health problems. The normal ranges of tests can also vary between different laboratories, so it is not always possible to compare results directly.

At Alpha Healthlabs, we believe in giving you an unparalleled and ethically sound service. Therefore, the meaning of all your results will be explained and we will suggest the most appropriate next course of action. It is important that you do not initiate any action based on these results without first consulting your General Practitioner.

Few risks are associated with supervised vitamin treatment. However, any risks depend on the vitamin and the reason for use. You should always check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting therapy. In particular, you should check that there are no interactions with existing medications. Vitamins A and D can be toxic in high doses, and care should be taken to keep within the recommended limits.