Micronutrients consisting of certain vitamins, minerals, and metals, each provide unique benefits essential to health and wellness. From strong bones and healthy organs to acute cognition and hair growth, each of these rely on frequent intake of micronutrients. Yet, modern farming techniques often deplete the soil of valuable metals necessary for wellness. Similarly, many people’s diets lack the foods necessary to provide well-balanced nutrition. And finally, there is the widespread syndrome of “leaky gut.”
Leaky Gut: Causes and Impact on Nutrient Absorption
Our intestines act as a filter, keeping certain things out while letting other things in. Ideally, our gut’s membranes let water in and out, while holding onto vital nutrients. These nutrients are then passed on to nourish us throughout our entire bodies.
When our gut is leaky, one impact may be that micronutrients such as zinc and selenium pass back to our intestine and are excreted as waste. That wouldn’t be a problem except that zinc benefits the immune system while selenium supports antiviral capacity, fertility, and may even reduce the risk of cancer. Excreting these and other nutrients due to leaky gut wastes the very nutrients which makes eating food vital in the first place. While dinner remains pleasurable, we can miss the very nutrients that make it vital. Eating with a leaky gut is like adding oil to a leaky engine. Not only do you miss the full benefit - but you increase the risk of total engine failure.
Leaky Gut Prevention and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
A simple blood draw can reveal if you have lower than optimal levels of vital micronutrients. If that is the case, it’s a good indication that you may have a leaky gut.
One solution may be Omega-6 fatty acids. Commonly found in rice, wheat, and other grains common in our diets, Omega-6 competes with Omega-3 fatty acids for space in our intestines. So while Omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish oils, help our gut retain vital nutrients, Omega-6 oils let them “leak” back through as waste. As big grain-eaters, we lose many of the nutrients needed to keep us healthy and well. Even a nutrient-rich diet doesn’t necessarily help much as we excrete the essential vitamins, minerals, and metals that we need to stay healthy!
“Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is among the first things I do, when I see a patient with micronutrient insufficiencies,” says Dr. Chris Cherubino of ARCpoint Labs.
With an Omega-3 supplement, you may be able to address the root cause of your micronutrient insufficiency. That is, the issue of your leaky gut. Knowing is key, and the best way to take control of your nutrient insufficiency is with a quick, reliable blood test.
Recognize the Signs of a Micronutrient Insufficiency
Even if it seems you’ve taken every measure - from eating better to exercise - you still may be missing the most basic piece of the puzzle. That is, you are not getting the nutrients required to keep you healthy, vital, and strong.
Despite giving up burgers for salad, or wheat bread for wheatgrass shakes, something seems missing. You still don’t feel your best, and it may be a micronutrient insufficiency. Common signs include:
- Tired, lethargic
- Aches and pains in joints; inflammation
- Cuts and other injuries don’t heal quickly
- Frequent colds or flu
- Just kind of “out of it” in a near-daily malaise
None of the signals are uncommon, and you’ve done nothing wrong. But you can take action.
Taking Control for Your Health and Wellness
Rather than groping for solutions and wondering if you just need to eat two more salads per day, it helps to chemically pinpoint the source of an issue. Insufficiencies in Iron, Selenium, Iodine, Folate, Zinc, Manganese, and Vitamins A, D and E are each measurable and important to your overall health and wellness.
Wouldn’t it be beneficial to know where you are nutrient insufficient, and which action to take? A simple, one-stop blood test can provide the nutrient answers you need.
ARCpoint Labs Helps You Take Control of Personal Health
A standard nutritional test looks at the outside of your cells to measure the nutrients currently in your system. ARCpoint Labs goes further. From the same sample, we open your cells to see which micronutrients have made it inside. Next, we see how they are processed further across generations of cell division.
For you, that simply means we dig deeper. Rather than just scratching the surface of a blood test, we seek deeper answers to improve your health, longevity, stamina, and well-being. All from a simple blood draw.
Interested? Curious? Find your local ARCpoint Labs for a professional consultation. We provide convenient, confidential, and actionable solutions.
More importantly, a few minutes at your local ARCpoint Labs might change the way you think of your body and your health.