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Sample Required: Urine | Test Type: Toxicity
Key Advantages
Urine, being an excretory tissue like hair, offers a great method of detecting metabolic ‘wasting’ of various electrolytes and cofactor elements due to toxicity (see toxic elements tested on second page of the report), nutrient deficiencies elsewhere in the body, or general organ/gland dysfunction such as the liver/kidneys and as a result of genetics, lifestyle, diet or environment. Beyond general insight into the current metabolism of toxic and essential elements in the body (and therefore body sufficiency need) – including specific trace elements such as copper and chromium, the urine elements test helps to monitor the efficacy / efficiency of any dietary, environmental or supplemental changes / regimes.
Urine toxic and essential elements analysis is an invaluable tool for the assessment of retention of toxic metals in the body and the status of essential nutrient elements. Toxic metals do not have any useful physiological function, adversely affect virtually every organ system and disrupt the homeostasis and utilisation of the nutrient elements. Analysis of the levels of toxic metals in urine offers a valuable insight into the current metabolic burden of these metals in the body, and must be accompanied with assessments of kidney function in order to make informed choices surrounding the need for a toxic metal detoxification program. Chronic low-level exposure to toxic metals is far more common than large acute exposures, and can result in significant obstructions to optimum cell and body functions from their retention in the body. A substantial body burden of toxic metals can thus be associated with a vast array of vague, intermittent adverse health effects and chronic disease.
To evaluate net retention, one can compare the levels of metals in urine before and after the administration of a pharmaceutical metal detoxification agent such as EDTA, DMSA or DMPS. Different compounds have different affinities for specific metals, but all function by sequestering “hidden” metals from deep tissue stores and mobilising the metals to the kidneys for excretion in the urine.
Guidelines for collection periods after administration of the most commonly utilised agents are provided in the table below:
| DETOXIFICATION AGENTS | HALF LIFE | COLLECTION PERIOD |
|---|---|---|
| EDTA | ~ 1 hr | 6-24 hrs |
| DMPS (IV) | ~ 1 hr | 2-6 hrs |
| DMPS (oral) | ~ 9 hrs | 6-9 hrs |
| DMSA | 4 hrs | 6-9 hrs |
Please Note: Pharmaceutical Chelation agents should be administered by qualified medical practitioners only.
* Non-medical practitioners may employ alternative strategies or work with medical practitioners by referral.
It is important to perform both pre-and post-provocation urinalysis to permit the distinction between ongoing exposures to metals (pre-) and net bodily retention (post). The pre-provocation urine collection can also be utilised to assess the rate of creatinine clearance.
Many clinicians also request the analysis of essential elements in the urine to evaluate nutritional status and the efficacy of mineral supplementation during metal detoxification therapy. Metal detoxification agents can significantly increase the excretion of specific nutrient elements such as zinc, copper, manganese, and molybdenum.
Chromium metabolism authorities suggest that 24-hour chromium excretion likely provides the best assessment of chromium status. Early indication of renal dysfunction can be gleaned from urinary wasting of essential elements such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium in an unprovoked specimen.
Variability in urine volume can drastically affect the concentration of elements. To compensate for urine dilution variation, elements are expressed per unit creatinine for timed collections. For 24-hour collections, elements are reported as both units per 24 hours and units per creatinine.
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