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Assess up to 9 essential nutritional biomarkers from a single blood sample
Yes. Malnutrition can have significant effects on both a child’s physical growth and cognitive development if it is not identified and treated promptly.
Prolonged malnutrition can impair the function of multiple organs and body systems. When the body does not receive adequate energy, protein, and essential micronutrients, it prioritizes vital physiological functions, reducing the resources available for normal growth, immune function, tissue repair and organ development.
Early identification and appropriate nutritional intervention can substantially improve a child’s nutritional status, support healthy growth and development.
Vitamin B12 testing is not intended to diagnose malnutrition directly. Instead, it provides important information about a child’s overall nutritional status.
This test helps identify vitamin B12 deficiency, enabling physicians to develop an appropriate nutritional management plan, particularly important for children with malabsorption disorders or those whose diets contain limited amounts of animal-source foods.
25-OH Vitamin D is the major circulating form of vitamin D and has a relatively long half-life, making it the most reliable biomarker for assessing the body’s overall vitamin D stores.
25-OH Vitamin D is also considered the gold standard for assessing vitamin D status because:
- It is the predominant circulating form of vitamin D in the bloodstream.
- It reflects vitamin D obtained from all sources, including sunlight exposure, diet, and dietary supplements.
- It has a relatively long half-life and stable serum concentration, making it a reliable indicator of vitamin D stores.
- 25-OH Vitamin D accurately reflects vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and is less affected by the body’s short-term compensatory regulatory mechanisms.
This panel is primarily designed to evaluate malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies rather than nutrient excess. However, certain biomarkers (such as 25-OH Vitamin D, vitamin B12) may be elevated in children who have received excessive supplementation before testing.
No. Malnutrition in children can also result from a variety of underlying medical conditions. These include gastrointestinal disorders that impair nutrient absorption, recurrent infections, and diseases or health conditions that increase energy expenditure, raise nutritional requirements, or cause excessive nutrient losses even when dietary intake appears to be relatively adequate.
