How To Test for Vitamin & Nutrient Deficiencies

In developed nations, vitamin and nutrient deficiencies are rare. Our access to healthy foods and our ability to get plenty of them means that we see fewer deficiencies (like scurvy or rickets) than ever before. Rarer still is the discovery of a new vitamin or nutrient deficiency, but that, folks, is exactly what is happening right now. 

Researchers have discovered a new nutrient deficiency (the first in over 70 years) that could also be the key to a better understanding of longevity. We’ll tell you what it is, how to test for it, and how to correct it. 

Vitamin and Nutrient Deficiencies Today

Sailors in the 17th century had scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C, and in the not-so-distant past, children became ill with rickets due to a lack of vitamin D (which is now found in fortified milk products). Few people are deficient in vitamins and minerals today unless they are living in an undeveloped country or do not have access to an abundance of food. 

In America, the most common reasons a person will have a nutrient deficiency is due to underlying illness or dietary restrictions.

Underlying Illnesses

Sometimes, a person’s biology makes it hard for their body to absorb a key nutrient or vitamin. Autoimmune diseases, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and type 2 diabetes may make it more difficult for a person to properly absorb the nutrients their bodies need. 

Certain weight loss surgeries can also place a person at higher risk of a vitamin deficiency, although these people are typically counseled about that possibility and advised to take a dietary supplement to prevent the deficiency from occurring. 

Dietary Restrictions

Some diets may eliminate key nutrients that a person needs. Diets that eliminate entire food groups are the most likely to cause a deficiency. People on vegetarian and vegan diets may have trouble obtaining enough vitamin B12, which is found primarily in animal products. 

The carnivore diet, which eliminates all fruit and vegetables, seeds, and nuts, may result in very low levels of vitamin C and folic acid, as well as fiber. If you have a dietary restriction, you should consider a supplement or speak to your healthcare provider about whether or not you need a vitamin deficiency test to determine if you need a supplement to get all the nutrients your body needs. 

Nutrient deficiencies can result in health problems like osteoporosis, anemia (iron deficiency), and other health conditions. Even so, vitamin deficiencies are still very rare in America. However, one newly discovered nutrient deficiency is so widespread it is thought to affect nearly one-third of people worldwide. 

The New Deficiency: C15:0

It all started with dolphins, not humans. Scientists studying longevity in dolphins noted that populations of dolphins that had an abundance of a particular fatty acid had fewer occurrences of age-related illnesses. 

They took their research further and discovered that when humans had higher levels of this fatty acid, they experienced less illness and a higher level of overall health. 

Further, it was found that residents living in Sardinia, Italy, one of the world’s Blue Zones, have levels of this fatty acid that are three times higher than people in other parts of the world. These residents are living to (and past) 100 years old. 

What is this fatty acid, you may ask? It’s pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0.

What Is C15:0?

C15:0 is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid that is primarily present in whole-fat dairy. Numerous studies have shown that having too little C15:0 in your diet causes you to have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (also called NAFLD). Globally, levels of C15:0 are declining, and there are a few major reasons why. 

• Whole milk has been wholly forgotten. Let’s face it. Most of us haven’t had whole milk since childhood if we had it then at all. Whole dairy got a major shaming when dietary guidelines were released in the 1970s that told us all to avoid all fat to decrease our risk of heart attacks. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans. 

• We can’t drink enough whole milk to fix the problem. Even if you do consume whole milk, you probably aren’t drinking enough to get the adequate amount of 15:0 you need, and honestly, you wouldn’t want to consume that much. Consuming an abundance of whole dairy products would mean consuming a large number of calories and sugar (from lactose) as well as consuming unhealthy, even-chain saturated fats that are consistently noted as risk factors for negative health outcomes. 

So how do we know that C15:0 is beneficial and that not having enough results in a deficiency that needs addressing? There’s a scientific paper for that. Actually, there are several. 

Understanding C15:0 Deficiency 

As published in the scientific journal Metabolites, low body levels of C15:0 can result in fragile cells that accelerate cellular aging and increase the risk of developing chronic metabolic, heart, and liver conditions. It plays such an important role in our ability to maintain a healthy, longer life that the deficiency itself has been named Cellular Fragility Syndrome. 

Cellular Fragility Syndrome causes cells to become weak, lose their function, and even die prematurely. In the above-referenced article, researchers summarize numerous studies that demonstrate how low levels of C15:0 in cell membranes (≤ 0.2% total fatty acids) result in ferroptosis. 

Ferroptosis is a type of cell death that is linked to accelerated aging, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and NAFLD, diseases that used to be considered age-related but are now being seen in younger populations.

How Does C15:0 Work?

The powerful benefits of C15:0 begin in your cells. As a sturdy fatty acid that is solid at room temperature, C15:0 deep dives into cells to restore their strength, revitalize their energy, and reverse cellular aging by: 

• Strengthening cell membranes. Cell membranes become stronger and retain their shape better. In studies, C15:0 increased cellular strength by 80%.
  
  
• Regulating inflammatory response. C15:0 significantly calms and lowers proinflammatory cytokines, which are known to be a key driver in the aging process.
  
  
• Restoring mitochondrial function. C15:0 has been shown to have significant cell-energy (aka ATP) generating power. In one peer-reviewed study, C15:0 was shown to increase ATP levels in cells by 350%.
  
  
• Targeting 6 out of the 12 markers of cellular aging (even better than rapamycin).
  
  
• Lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol (Singapore study)
  
  
• Improve liver enzymes
  
  
• Improve the gut microbiome

In addition, C15:0 helps regulate total body homeostasis, helps support the immune system, and encourages red blood cell health. The only question left is how much we need of it to avoid Cellular Fragility Syndrome.

How Much C15:0 Do We Need?

Studies have determined that circulating C15:0 levels that are above 0.2% of total fats in our cell membranes prevents Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Optimal ranges are between 0.2% and 0.4%. Worth noting is that the Sardinian's longevity zone levels measure approximately 0.6%, a full three times the average. 

Many people have low levels that put them at risk for Cellular Fragility Syndrome, and you’ll need a lab test to determine your levels of this important nutrient. You can ask your doctor to order a C15:0 test or take a simple at-home finger-prick test. Simply take the test, mail it in, and obtain your test results online. 

How Can I Fix Nutrient Deficiencies?

If you learn that you have a nutrient deficiency (whether it is C15:0 or something else), you’ll want to take steps to correct it. Correcting for vitamin D deficiency or calcium deficiencies is usually as easy as increasing your intake of foods that contain the nutrients (or micronutrients) you need. 

However, fixing C15:0 deficiency isn’t that simple — or is simpler, depending on how you look at it. 

Why a C15:0 Supplement Is Best

There are a few reasons why taking a C15:0 supplement is a better solution for correcting a C15:0 deficiency than trying to consume massive amounts of whole milk.

• The C15:0 in milk isn’t ready to absorb. In whole milk, C15:0 is attached to triglycerides. These have to be broken down so that the C15:0 can be isolated and used by the body. This extra step during digestion makes C15:0 absorption less effective. In supplement form, C15:0 is ready to digest. Less work for your gastrointestinal system!

• Whole milk is a whole lotta calories. It’s why many of us don’t drink it: whole milk comes with many excess calories. Whole milk also contains sugars from lactose and unhealthy, even-chain saturated fat consistently linked with poorer health outcomes. By contrast, the C15:0 supplement, fatty15, contains just one calorie per dose and isn’t mixed with any bad fats. It contains only pure, FA15™, the vegan-friendly version of C15:0.

• A supplement does not have to involve animals. The push to eliminate as many animal products from our diets and use doesn’t support drinking more cow’s milk to increase C15:0 levels. Plant-based milks are completely void of C15:0, which means we have to find another way to get this vital nutrient. Fatty15 contains only one ingredient which is vegan-friendly, sustainable, and doesn’t involve any cows. 

Taking fatty15 just once per day is a good solution to increase your C15:0 levels, correcting Cellular Fragility Syndrome, eliminating the deficiency, and supporting your longevity. It’s a smart decision that will pay dividends into your healthspan, or your ability to age healthfully. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

With the knowledge of how fatty15 can help reverse Cellular Fragility Syndrome, improve your cardiac, metabolic, and liver health, and support your longevity, there’s the opportunity to age more healthfully than ever before. In addition to eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep, and exercising regularly, taking fatty15 is a great way to support your total wellness and live a longer, healthier life. 

Nutritional deficiencies are rare because once we recognize them, they are easy to remedy. Thankfully, the discovery of Cellular Fragility Syndrome also has a very easy solution. Fatty15 is the one and only pure, vegan, award-winning C15:0 supplement you need to support your long-term health and wellness. 

Sources:

Vitamin deficiency anemia - Symptoms & causes | Mayo Clinic

Circulating fatty acids and endocannabinoidome-related mediator profiles associated to human longevity | GeroScience | Springer.com

Application | Discoverc15

Ferroptosis and Senescence: A Systematic Review

Iron metabolism and ferroptosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus and complications: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities | Cell Death & Disease

Ferroptosis mechanisms and regulations in cardiovascular diseases in the past, present, and future | Cell Biology and Toxicology

Iron metabolism and ferroptosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: what is our next step? | Journals.physiology.org

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease| nih.gov

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds