Advanced nutrition blood test

Secondary relevance

Advanced nutrition blood test with vitamins A, D, E, B12 and folic acid, iron studies, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, ionised calcium and homocysteine, plus general biochemistry, TSH and urine. It is the broadest profile in the category, designed for situations with a specific risk of malabsorption or multiple deficiencies.

No prescription or appointment needed

Results in 5-7 working days

Blood and urine sample. Includes: Full blood count · Glucose · Urea, creatinine and eGFR · Uric acid · Sodium and potassium · Lipid profile and ratios. 23 in total. See what each one measures

Secondary relevance. It is not the one I recommend to start with. It is here because it adds something in specific situations, but for most people it looks at more than is needed.

What it is for

It extends the full nutrition blood test when there is a specific reason to measure fat-soluble vitamins, copper or ionised calcium. It can make sense with malabsorption, digestive surgery, or symptoms or treatments that raise the risk of uncommon deficiencies.

It is not the usual first assessment. For a restrictive diet or tiredness without a specific cause, the full nutrition blood test covers the most common deficiencies with fewer tests whose interpretation is uncertain.

When it is recommended

Known or suspected malabsorption with a risk of multiple deficiencies
Digestive or bariatric surgery, when the post-bariatric protocol is not a better fit
Long-term use of high doses of zinc, because of the risk of copper deficiency
Previous abnormal vitamin A or E results that require follow-up
Not recommended as a first nutrition blood test without specific risk factors

Clinical comment

The tests that set this profile apart have limitations. Serum retinol can remain stable until a deficiency is advanced, so a normal value does not always reflect total stores. Vitamin E circulates bound to lipoproteins and has to be interpreted together with cholesterol and triglycerides.

Copper does change decisions when there is malabsorption, bariatric surgery or long-term excess zinc. Outside those contexts, measuring it routinely usually adds little. Ionised calcium is a direct measure of the active fraction, but it is sensitive to pH and to sample handling, and it does not turn this profile into a full parathyroid assessment.

We have kept out other tests with little routine value or high pre-analytical instability. The aim of the profile is not to gather every possible vitamin, but to offer an option for selected cases that call for these four additions. Precisely because of these limitations and its narrow indication, this profile is marked as secondary relevance.

Dr. Antonio Mas

What is tested

Full blood count: Looks for anaemia and other changes in the blood cells.
Glucose: Measures fasting blood sugar.
Urea, creatinine and eGFR: Assess kidney function and add context about hydration and protein metabolism.
Uric acid: Completes the metabolic and kidney assessment.
Sodium and potassium: Measure the main electrolytes in the blood.
Lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides) and ratios
AST, ALT, GGT and total bilirubin: Give information about the liver.
Ferritin: Estimates iron stores, although it also rises with inflammation.
Iron studies (iron, transferrin, saturation and total iron-binding capacity)
Vitamin D (25-OH): Assesses vitamin D stores.
Vitamin B12: Measures the circulating level of cobalamin.
Folic acid (folate): Assesses folate.
Vitamin A (retinol): Measures serum retinol, a marker of limited use for identifying early deficiency.
Vitamin E (tocopherol): Assesses the level of vitamin E, which should be interpreted in relation to blood lipids.
Magnesium: Measures serum magnesium, which represents a small part of the body's stores.
Zinc: Assesses the circulating level of zinc.
Selenium: Measures a trace element involved in antioxidant and thyroid enzymes.
Copper: Can be relevant with malabsorption, bariatric surgery or long-term use of high doses of zinc.
Ionised calcium: Measures the biologically active fraction of calcium and requires careful handling of the sample.
Homocysteine: Can rise with B12 or folate deficiency, as well as other causes.
Total protein and albumin: Give information about synthesis, losses and protein status.
Urinalysis and sediment: Looks for protein, blood, glucose, white blood cells and other urinary abnormalities.
TSH: The first test for assessing thyroid function.

How to prepare

Fast for 8 to 12 hours. You can drink water. If you take biotin supplements, stop them 48 hours before, because they can interfere with several tests. Bring a sample of your first urine of the morning or collect it at the partner centre.

Oral iron can temporarily change serum iron. Check whether you should have the sample taken before your dose or follow any specific instruction. Do not stop prescribed treatments on your own.

You can add

Without another needle. It is offered when you order, so you do not have to decide now.

Sugar, insulin and inflammationAssesses insulin resistance through fasting insulin and the HOMA-IR index, plus average blood sugar over the last three months and low-grade inflammation.+€59.00
Coeliac disease antibodiesMeasures the antibodies used to investigate coeliac disease; for a reliable result, it must be done while you are still eating gluten.+€39.00

Related blood tests

We have other profiles in Nutrition with more or fewer tests:

The most comprehensive is not always the most useful. If you are not sure, the one we recommend to start with is Basic nutrition blood test.

What it is based on

Organización Mundial de la Salud · Nutrition Landscape Information System
Vitamin A deficiency: serum retinol as an indicator
It supports what the clinical comment says about retinol, and it is the reason this profile is marked as secondary. The WHO writes that, between the two extremes of very depleted or very high liver stores, serum retinol is homeostatically controlled and may not reflect intake, and that it is used to assess populations rather than an individual. For the other three tests added here (vitamin E, copper and ionised calcium) there is no guideline supporting them within a general panel: copper does have one, but in the context of post-bariatric monitoring, where it is requested for an indication and not by piling up tests.
Organización Mundial de la Salud
WHO guideline on use of ferritin concentrations to assess iron status in individuals and populations
It supports the iron part that this profile shares with the full nutrition blood test. Ferritin is the marker of iron stores; it rises with inflammation, which is why it is read together with the rest of the iron studies and with an adjusted threshold when inflammation is present.

Protocol designed by Dr. Antonio Mas, specialist in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Spanish medical licence no. 080846289, and reviewed in September 2026.

This blood test is a standardised protocol and does not replace a medical consultation. If you have symptoms, a known condition or a complex clinical situation, speak to your doctor.