WVDL Now Offers Nutritional Trace Element Panel
Panel includes copper, zinc, manganese, selenium and iron.
WVDL is now offering a nutritional trace element panel (the new test code is NUTRITNPNL) for copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron. The cost is $30 in-state, $45 out-of- state. Liver is the sample of choice to submit. Results will be available in about one week. If interested in only selenium, submit WHOLE blood.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately interpret the concentrations of macro minerals (e.g., P) and electrolytes (e.g., Na and K) detected in liver samples. In addition, our instrumentation for minerals/elements (ICP-MS) routinely reports a total of 16 minerals/elements as part of its normal sample run. Many of these are irrelevant in terms of a nutritional trace element panel (e.g., Arsenic, Cadmium). In order to streamline reporting and avoid reporting unnecessary data, WVDL is now offering a nutritional trace element panel that includes reporting for only copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron.
In addition, please note that most* of the trace minerals/elements are difficult to interpret and their value uncertain when assessed by running blood or serum. Liver is the relevant sample for a panel of trace mineral/element analysis. Please visit our Test Fee List for submission guidelines and call with any questions.
*Selenium is the one trace mineral which can, without reservation, be run and reliably interpreted from whole blood samples. Interpretation of [Se] from serum samples can be more challenging than that from whole blood samples, as a result of variability caused by feeding organic vs inorganic selenium supplements.
