The Vibrant Heavy Metals test is a urine-based test to screen for 20 of the most common heavy metals known to accumulate and cause adverse health effects in the human body. Heavy metal toxicity is under-represented as a root cause of illness and disease in humans, is thought to affect over 1 million individuals annually, and can affect virtually all biological systems within the human body.
- Heavy metals may be the root cause of common neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune diseases, and disorders associated with increased oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction
- Due to the ability of many heavy metals to deplete critical nutrients such as antioxidants and minerals, the Vibrant Heavy Metals test should be run alongside a Vibrant Micronutrient panel, to assess both intra- and extracellular levels of commonly affected nutrients
- Populations at greater risk of heavy metal toxicity include developing fetuses, children, and the immunocompromised, as well as individuals with impaired liver function and reduced antioxidant activity
- Heavy metals are present in all regions of the United States, and can accumulate in air, soil, and drinking or ground water sources in and around concentrated sources of heavy metals from industrial production or pollution
- Some professions and hobbies are at greater risk of heavy metal toxicity, including fuel, munitions, painting, rubber manufacturing, industrial smelting, mining, photographic processing, agriculture, semiconductors, welding, and waste or radioactive waste disposal sites
- The World Health Organization (WHO) considers 13 heavy metals of significance to human and environmental health: arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, mercury, manganese, nickel, lead, tin, and titanium, however, there are other metals and metalloids that may be significant causes of health problems in humans
Susceptibility to toxic overload from environmental toxins varies person-to-person, and can be affected by a variety of factors including:
- Genetics
- Environment
- Diet
- Liver and kidney health
- Microbiome composition and diversity
- Age
- Adiposity
- Gender
- Lifestyle
- Immune system capacity