Digestive Stool Analysis Spectracell
Nutritional Testing

Spectra Cell Nutritional Testing is a unique type of metabolic micronutrient analysis. It is a blood test, which measures functional deficiencies in several micronutrients, amino acids, essential metabolites, fatty acids, carbohydrate metabolism, minerals, and anti-oxidant status. The test includes measurements of the following: thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacinamide (vitamin B3), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), cobalamin (vitamin B12), folic acid, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), and biotin, the amino acid serine, glutamine, asparagine, essential metabolites including choline and inositol, minerals such as calcium, zinc and magnesium, individual anti-oxidant function and individual anti-oxidants, including glutathione and cysteine.

The method of analysis involves measurements of proliferative response of lymphocytes following mitogen stimulation. Through this approach, certain functional differences can emerge. The important concept in looking at the results of the Spectra Cell Nutritional Analysis is that one needs to understand what is meant by a functional deficiency. This is not a test, for instance, that measures individual blood levels of certain micronutrients. Results such as this would be dependent on individual supplementation and what you had to eat over the last several hours.

Instead, it is a unique type of functional analysis, which measures what your unique needs are for certain nutrients, compared to the general population. This is a very helpful type of analysis, in that many of us have higher than usual needs for certain nutrients in order to function optimally. For example, in the general population, 60 mg per day of vitamin C will prevent scurvy and, hence, we would refer to that as a recommended daily allowance. However, optimal immune function for the average population probably requires at least 200 mg per day of vitamin C. However, there are those individuals who would require significantly higher doses for optimal immune function.

If we relied solely on the recommended daily allowance or on an assumption of one size fits all doses, such as 200 mg of vitamin C daily, we would not be able to address what would be optimal levels for each individual. A certain individual may assume that they need only 200 mg daily of vitamin C to maintain normal or adequate immune function. If their functional needs are considerably higher, they might not be able to be optimally healthy if they are consuming less than their optimal needs for certain nutrients.

At your follow-up visit, your test results will be reviewed in detail and analyzed in the context of the other data relative to the test results.

Dale Guyer, M.D.