Micronutrient Test
Go beyond a standard blood test. See how your cells actually use 31 essential nutrients.
- Sample
- Two tubes, no fasting
- Looks back
- About 4–6 months
- Results
- About 12 business days
For personal testing
Financing options available through
Not available for direct purchase in CA, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA or RI. SpectraCell does not test New York residents.
What the test measures
31 nutrients and 4 functional readouts, all measured in your own white blood cells. Select a well to see what it does.
Vitamin A
Supports vision, immune function and cell growth.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
Helps cells turn carbohydrates into energy.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Needed for energy production and cell growth.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Used by hundreds of enzymes that make energy and maintain DNA.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin B6
Needed for protein metabolism, brain chemistry and immune function.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin B12
Keeps nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin C
An antioxidant the body needs to make collagen and support immunity.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin D
Helps the body absorb calcium and supports muscles, nerves and immunity.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin K
Needed for normal blood clotting and healthy bones.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Biotin (B7)
Helps the body use carbohydrates, fats and protein.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Folate (B9)
Needed to make DNA and for cells to divide.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Pantothenate (B5)
Part of coenzyme A, which cells use to make and break down fats.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Calcium
Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Chromium
Supports the action of insulin.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Copper
Helps make energy and connective tissue and supports nerve and immune function.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Magnesium
Takes part in hundreds of enzyme reactions, including energy production and muscle and nerve function.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Manganese
Used in energy metabolism, bone formation and antioxidant enzymes.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Zinc
Supports immune function, wound healing and the making of proteins and DNA.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Alpha-lipoic acid
Helps mitochondria make energy and recycles other antioxidants.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Coenzyme Q10
Needed for energy production in mitochondria. Also an antioxidant.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Cysteine
An amino acid the body uses to make glutathione.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Glutathione
A key antioxidant made inside your cells.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Selenium
Part of enzymes that protect cells from oxidative damage and support thyroid function.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Vitamin E
A fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Asparagine
Used by cells to build proteins and process nitrogen.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Glutamine
A major fuel for immune cells and the cells lining the gut.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Serine
Helps build cell membranes and supplies building blocks for DNA.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Oleic acid
The main fat in olive oil, used to build cell membranes.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Choline
Needed for cell membranes and to make the messenger chemical acetylcholine.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Inositol
Part of the signaling system cells use to respond to hormones such as insulin.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Carnitine
Carries fatty acids into mitochondria so they can be used for energy.
In your report: a percentage of your own control, marked deficient, borderline or within range.
Spectrox
Total antioxidant function
How well your cells hold up against oxidative stress.
How it works
Your cells grow with and without an oxidizing agent. The score compares how well they hold up.
Why it matters
It shows how all your antioxidants work together. Low glutathione or CoQ10 can pull it down.
In your report: shown as a score.
Immunidex
Immune response score
How strongly your immune cells respond when they are stimulated.
How it works
Your cells get every nutrient and a signal to grow. This batch is also your control.
Why it matters
A broad sign of immune cell function. Nutrient shortfalls and some medicines can lower it.
In your report: shown as a score.
Glucose-Insulin Interaction
Carbohydrate metabolism
How your cells respond to insulin when they use glucose.
How it works
Your cells grow on very little glucose, with and without extra insulin.
Why it matters
If extra insulin helps them grow, they aren't using insulin well. It can't diagnose diabetes.
In your report: flagged if abnormal.
Fructose Sensitivity
Carbohydrate metabolism
How well your cells process fructose, a sugar in fruit and sweeteners.
How it works
Breaking down fructose uses up cell energy. Cells that handle it poorly can run low.
Why it matters
It's about excess fructose from added sugars like corn syrup, not whole fruit.
In your report: flagged if abnormal.
Show all 35 as a list
Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Biotin (B7), Folate (B9), Pantothenate (B5)
Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc
Alpha-lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q10, Cysteine, Glutathione, Selenium, Vitamin E
Asparagine, Glutamine, Serine
Oleic acid
Choline, Inositol, Carnitine
Spectrox, Immunidex, Glucose-Insulin Interaction, Fructose Sensitivity
What happens to your blood sample
We grow some of your white blood cells in our lab. Then we take away one nutrient at a time and see how well the cells grow using only what they have stored.
Watch the overview video- 1Drawing blood
Two small tubes of blood are drawn and shipped overnight to our lab in Houston.
- 2Separating the cells
We pull out your lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. These are the cells we test.
- 3Setting your baseline
One batch of your cells gets every nutrient it needs. Its growth is your baseline, called your control.
- 4Removing one nutrient
Each of the other batches is missing a different nutrient, so the cells have to grow using what they already have stored.
- 5Comparing growth
We compare how much each batch grew with your control. Less growth can mean your cells are running low on that nutrient.
Method details for providers
Peripheral blood lymphocytes are isolated and grown in a chemically defined, serum-free and protein-free medium (Shive et al., PNAS 1986). The amount of each nutrient is varied one at a time. The cells are then stimulated with a mitogen, and proliferation is measured by DNA synthesis. Results are reported as a percentage of the patient's own control and compared with nutrient-specific reference ranges. Immunidex is the response of the baseline culture. Every sample is run in triplicate.
What a standard blood test can miss
A nutrient can be in your blood and still not work well inside your cells. A standard serum test only sees what's in your blood. This test shows what your cells do with it.
Standard serum test
How much is in your blood?
- Measures what's in the liquid part of your blood
- A snapshot of the day of the draw
- Can look normal while your cells run low
SpectraCell Micronutrient Test
How well are your cells using it?
- Looks inside your own white blood cells
- Reflects roughly the past 4–6 months
- Can catch shortfalls a serum test misses
The vitamin D results are an illustration, not real patient data.
Common reasons people test
Select a condition to see the nutrients SpectraCell's reference chart links with it. Whichever you choose, the test measures all 31.
Tap a condition to see its nutrient pattern.
This chart shows general patterns. Your own needs may be different, so test first and talk to your healthcare provider before starting any supplement. This test doesn't diagnose or treat any condition.
From order to results
One blood draw, shipped back the same day. Results in about 12 business days.
- Step 1
Order your kit
It comes with collection tubes, packing materials and a prepaid FedEx Priority Overnight label. Before you order, check that you can get a draw near you.
- Step 2
Get your blood drawn
At a draw site, with a mobile phlebotomist, or at our Houston lab. No fasting needed.
Find a draw site - Step 3
Ship it the same day
Draw Monday to Friday and send it the same day with the prepaid label.
Collection and packing steps - Step 4
Get your results
About 12 business days after the lab receives your sample.
The dark tick on each bar marks the bottom of that nutrient's reference range. Values shown are for illustration only.
Your report, nutrient by nutrient
Each result is a percentage of your own control culture, compared with a reference range set for that nutrient.
- DeficientBelow the reference range
- BorderlineClose to the low end of the range
- Within rangeYour cells performed as expected
Spectrox and Immunidex are reported as scores. Glucose-Insulin Interaction and Fructose Sensitivity are flagged if abnormal. Supplemental pages explain each flagged item for you and your provider.
Open the sample report (PDF)Common questions
Have another question? Call us at (800) 227-5227, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm Central, or send us a message.
Do I need to stop taking supplements first?
No. Keep taking them as you normally do. The test looks at roughly the past 4–6 months.
Do I need to fast?
No, not for this test. If you're having other tests done at the same time, follow their instructions.
Do any medications affect the test?
After you finish antibiotics or chemotherapy, wait 4–6 weeks before your blood draw. Blood thinners and biotin don't affect the test.
My regular blood test was normal. Can this test still show a deficiency?
Yes. A regular blood test shows how much of a nutrient is in your blood. This test shows how well your cells use it. The two don't always match.
How often should I retest?
Most people test again about six months after starting a new plan, to see what has changed.
Can children be tested?
Yes. Our standard ranges are for ages 12 and up. Younger children can still be tested on the advice of a healthcare provider.
Is this a diabetes test?
No. Glucose-Insulin Interaction shows how your cells respond to sugar and insulin in the lab. It can't diagnose diabetes, and it doesn't replace tests like fasting glucose or HbA1c.
What if my sample can't be tested?
Occasionally a sample can't produce a result because the cells don't grow enough in culture. This is most often due to shipping delays or exposure to extreme temperatures in transit. If this happens, you can contact us about a new blood draw or a refund.
See how well your own cells use 31 essential nutrients.
Not available for direct purchase in CA, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA or RI.
How Can We Help?
Have Questions? Need assistance?
If you require immediate assistance, during normal business hours Monday thru Friday 8am-6pm CST, you may either utilize our Live Agent Chat or call us at (800) 227-LABS.
After hours, please contact us by filling out and submitting the form,
we will contact you the next business day.