A good lab/package? - Hormone Lab UK Official Test Provider of ZRT Laboratory

[FinneUK]

I was thinking to potentially get routine thyroid checks, Cortisol and DHEA, and also female hormones.

Below is the type of results I might get in a lab package that, as it happens, tests all of these - but not vitamins or ferratin.

£379.00 for Female Hormone Test Kit Profile II

£349.00 Female Hormone Test Profile I

All the tests for thyroid say they are dry blood-spot ones and the more expensive kit II says dry blood spot for hormones whereas the cheaper has salivary ones for female hormones.

Any comments on price and efficacy of this lab/dry blood spot tests in general?

Thanks for any advice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Salivary Steroids

Estradiol 0.8 0.5-1.7 pg/mL Postmenopausal (optimal 1.3-1.7)

Progesterone 37 12-100 pg/mL Postmenopausal

Ratio: Pg/E2 46 L Optimal: 100-500 when E2 1.3-3.3 pg/mL

Testosterone 33 16-55 pg/mL (Age Dependent)

DHEAS 2.3 2-23 ng/mL (Age Dependent)

Cortisol 12.2 H 3.7-9.5 ng/mL (morning)

Cortisol 1.4 1.2-3.0 ng/mL (noon)

Cortisol 1.0 0.6-1.9 ng/mL (evening)

Cortisol 0.7 0.4-1.0 ng/mL (night)

Blood Spot Thyroids

Free T4* 1.5 0.7-2.5 ng/dL

Free T3 3.3 2.4-4.2 pg/mL

TSH 3.4 H 0.5-3.0 µU/mL

TPOab*9 0-150 IU/mL (70-150 borderline)

[RedApple]

I've never heard of this testing service before. And I'm very impressed if they can obtain the accuracy of information about hormone levels that we patients need and expect, from dry blood spots!

I hope someone with sufficient knowledge and understanding of such testing will comment.

[helvella]

I'd note that at least some of those results are in units which are not usual in the UK.

This is not a major issue, only just above an inconvenience - it is easy enough to find calculators to convert. Or look up the conversion factors and create a spreadsheet if you wish.

(Mind, if viewing them from the perspective of percentage through reference interval, it doesn't even need that!)

[helvella]

Re the ZRT testing, I found this paper - which is interesting in its own right (re iodine consumption in Japan) as well as that both authors work for ZRT!

Review

• Open Access

• Published: 05 October 2011

Assessment of Japanese iodine intake based on seaweed consumption in Japan: A literature-based analysis

• Theodore T Zava &

• David T Zava

Abstract

Japanese iodine intake from edible seaweeds is amongst the highest in the world. Predicting the type and amount of seaweed the Japanese consume is difficult due to day-to-day meal variation and dietary differences between generations and regions. In addition, iodine content varies considerably between seaweed species, with cooking and/or processing having an influence on iodine content. Due to all these factors, researchers frequently overestimate, or underestimate, Japanese iodine intake from seaweeds, which results in misleading and potentially dangerous diet and supplementation recommendations for people aiming to achieve the same health benefits seen by the Japanese. By combining information from dietary records, food surveys, urine iodine analysis (both spot and 24-hour samples) and seaweed iodine content, we estimate that the Japanese iodine intake--largely from seaweeds--averages 1,000-3,000 μg/day (1-3 mg/day).

link.springer.com/article/1...

Authors' information

TZ received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Oregon State University in 2009. He is a Research Associate at ZRT Laboratory in Beaverton, Oregon, where he recently developed a test to measure iodine and creatinine levels in dried urine. His current research focuses on iodine deficiency, Japanese iodine intake, halide competition, thyroid disorders and iodine kinetics in the human body.

DZ received his doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee in 1974. He is Laboratory Director and President of ZRT Laboratory, which he founded in 1998. Dr. Zava has developed innovative, simple and cost-effective methods to monitor hormone and other analytes associated with health and disease. His current research focus includes endocrinology, breast cancer, and--most recently--the importance of iodine to optimum health. He is co-author of a landmark book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life.