WHY SHOULD I PERFORM A VITAMIN D TEST?
Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones. Deficiency extremely common and affects around 1 billion people around the world. The main risks of developing vitamin D deficiency is lack of exposure to sunlight and inadequate intake from your diet.
Vitamin D works in the body to affect calcium regulation which is essential to maintain healthy teeth, bones and muscles, deficiency of the vitamin can therefore affect your bone health, muscle health, immune function and mood.
Signs and symptoms might include:
- Fatigue
- Bone pain
- Muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps
- Mood changes, like depression
Deficiency has also been linked to a variety of other health concerns including cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, severe asthma and even cancer.
It is therefore very important to get a test done to check your Vitamin D levels and see if you need to make changes to your diet and lifestyle or consider taking supplements to bring your levels up to the correct range.
IS A FASTING SAMPLE REQUIRED
Yes, please fast for a minimum of 6 hours prior to collecting your sample for all tests.
You should not have any food or drink including tea/coffee and juice. You can drink water as it is important to keep hydrated the night before and the morning of your sample collection. Also avoid chewing gum and or smoking during your fasting period.
It is recommended to take your sample first thing in the morning and that you return your sample by post directly after it has been collected.
HOW IT WORKS
- Order your test kit via PostMyMeds’ website and receive your test kit in the post
- Collect your blood sample at home
- Register your Unique Reference Number (URN) online with Randox Laboratories – there will be instructions in the test kit explaining how to do this
- Return your sample to the lab for testing – a stamped and addressed return package will be provided with your test kit
- Receive results in a personalised report via email securely
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE IT GET RESULTS?
You should receive your results 3-5 working days after your sample arrives in the laboratory.