Amino Acids 40 Profile - Urine

Amino Acids 40 Urine Profile

The urine profile can aid in determining and monitoring metabolic pathways, information about hepatic and renal function, the status of medical conditions, and amino acid balance. Urine may be influenced by dietary intake. Evaluation of amino acids identifies the status of essential, branched chain, and other non-essential amino acids, as well as several functional categories such as neuroendocrine, vascular and detoxification, and functional vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This profile is an ideal option when venipuncture services are limited.

Why is amino acid testing important?

Amino acids, known as the "building blocks" of proteins, are found in every tissue of the body. They play a major role in nearly every chemical process that affects both physical and mental function including the formation of ligaments, tendons, bones, as well as antibodies and regulation of enzymes and blood transport proteins. Twenty different amino acids are used to synthesize proteins.

The human body can synthesize all of the amino acids necessary to build proteins except for ten called the "essential amino acids". These ten must be included in the diet or supplemented to be in adequate supplies. Failure to obtain enough of even one of these essential amino acids has serious health implications and can result in degradation of the body's proteins. Muscle and other protein structures may be dismantled to obtain the amino acid that is needed.

As a result, amino acids have more diverse functions than any other nutrient group, including:

Test name(s)

0012 - Amino Acids - 40 analytes
0312 - Amino Acids - 40 analytes NY

Description

The urine amino acid profile reports levels of essential amino acids and their derivatives in categories. Functional vitamin and mineral deficiencies and diagnosis of metabolic disorders, including neuroendocrine, muscle wasting, and bone loss, can be determined from a urine amino acid analysis. A 24-hour urine collection gives the most accurate analysis of urine amino acids.

Method

Reversed Phase UHPLCS Method

Turnaround time

7-14 days, 10 days average

Analytes

1-Methylhistidine
3-Methylhistidine
Alanine
Alpha-Aminoadipic Acid
Alpha-Amino-N-Butyric Acid
Anserine
Arginine
Asparagine
Aspartic Acid
Beta-Alanine
Beta-Aminoisobutyric Acid
Carnosine
Citrulline
Cystahionine
Cystine
Ethanolamine
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
Glutamic Acid
Glutamine
Glycine
Histidine
Homocystine
Hydroxylysine
Hydroxyproline
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Ornithine
Phenylalanine
Phosphoethanolamine
Phosphoserine
Proline
Sarcosine
Serine
Taurine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Tyrosine
Valine

Specimen Collection Instructions

• Amino-Acids-KI.pdf

Sample Reports Example of how test results will be reported, including reference ranges and graphs indicating high and low percentiles of each analyte.

• Amino-Acids-40-Urine-SR.pdf

Interpretive Guides Information on individual analytes and possible patterns that may be indicated on your test results. Further supplement recommendations, diet modifications, and other treatment options may also be included to help guide your treatment.

• Amino-Acids-IG.pdf

Patient Briefs

• Amino-Acids-PB.pdf

If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, download it here.

Articles

• Importance of Sulfur Amino Acids - Are we getting enough sulfur in our diets? This brief article covers the functions of sulfur amino acids, adverse effects of insufficiencies, and common food sources of these essential amino acids.
• Amino Acids - A good way to organize amino acids is to consider them by function. The following article is a list of functional groups of amino acids and their metabolic roles in the body.
• Amino Acid Profiling: Clinical Guidelines for Determination of Preferred Specimen Choice - A large majority of reports documenting clinically useful information from evaluation of essential amino acids have evaluated plasma levels.
• Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Specific Amino Acid Supplementation - The following represents an open trial of the efficacy of amino acid supplementation which may stimulate further interest in the use of amino acids as therapeutic agents in CFS.

Books

• Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine - Your evidence-based resource for the biochemical basis of chronic illness. A must-have desk reference for laboratory testing associated with nutritional and metabolic medicine.

Presentations

• Why Test for Amino Acids? - The Amino Acid Plasma 20 test is reviewed by Dr. Redmond. Each category is explained and the reasons for highs and lows are discussed.
• Amino Acids in the Body - The short video clip is from part of an interview with Dr. Bralley discussing the importance of amino acids in the body.
• IFM: The New Paradigm of Medicine - This PowerPoint presentation was developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine. It provides a concise explanation of the new paradigm of medicine that focuses on underlying causes of disease and treatment from that level rather treating symptoms alone, the approach often taken by modern medicine.

References

• Amino Acids - Urine References