Organic Acids Test
The organic acids test is a urine test that measures 76 different biomarkers to determine the health of different processes in the body. This is used in functional medicine to get to the root cause of illness. The categories are :
Oxalate metabolites: Oxalates can generate pain. Oxalates are found in foods such as spinach, nuts and coffee. If your body has a difficult time metabolizing oxalates you can develop kidney stones or widespread pain. This part of the OATS test is to see how your body is dealing with oxalates.
Glycolytic cycle metabolites: Your body makes energy by burning glucose to make packets of energy called ATP. The first part of this process is the glycolytic pathway. (AKA citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle) This part of the OATS test reveals how well your body makes energy.
Mitochondrial Markers: More energy markers.
Neurotransmitters: These are important for nervous system health. HVA and VMA measure metabolites from dopamine and norepinephrine. Quinolinic acid is a metabolite of tryptophan. These metabolites help assess conditions like depression, anxiety and mood disorders.
Folate metabolism: Your body uses folate in detoxification and production of energy. This marker gives us a measure of how well you are detoxifying the chemicals in food and the environment.
Ketone metabolism: Ketones are a byproduct of fat metabolism.
Nutritional markers Vitamins B and C, B12, glutathione, Biotin, and CoQ10:
The B vitamins are co-factors in many biochemical reactions. Glutathione helps with gut permeability and detoxification.
Detoxification: Detoxification is a very important function. Problems with detoxification can lead to many metabolic problems.
Amino Acids: Usually indicates a genetic problem
By combining the organic acids test with the stool test we can get a good idea if you have the following problems:
Oxalate problems
Yeast infections
Parasites
Bacterial infection in gut
Leaky gut
SIBO
Problems with digestion
Low stomach acid
Detoxification Issues
Mal absorption
Detoxification Issues
Vitamin deficiencies
Krebs cycle
Genetic problems
Mold
Folate problems
Gallbladder
Neurotransmitters
In summary, the organic acids test is invaluable to determine processes in the body that are not working correctly. Dietary changes and targeted supplements help to change the root cause of disease.
