Key Benefits

• Check overall nutritional status tied to malnutrition and its health risks.
• Spot protein shortfalls with albumin and total protein that suggest undernutrition or illness.
• Explain anemia, numbness, or memory issues by detecting B12 or folate deficiency.
• Guide safe B12 and folate supplementation to correct anemia and protect nerves.
• Support bone strength and muscle function by correcting low vitamin D levels.
• Protect fertility and pregnancy with adequate folate, B12, and vitamin D status.
• Track recovery from malnutrition and absorption issues by trending results over time.
• Best interpreted with a CBC, inflammation markers, and your symptoms.

What are Malnutrition

Malnutrition biomarkers are measurable signals in blood (and sometimes urine) that show whether your body is getting, absorbing, transporting, storing, and actually using the nutrients it needs. Together, they turn a vague concern—“am I nourished?”—into a concrete picture that can reveal hidden deficits before weight or appearance changes. Broadly, they track protein-energy status and its context (illness-sensitive proteins such as transthyretin/prealbumin and albumin), micronutrient stores and transport (iron markers like ferritin and transferrin saturation; vitamin B12/cobalamin and folate; vitamin D/25‑hydroxyvitamin D; zinc), and the functional impact of deficiency (red blood cell measures such as hemoglobin). Because illness alters many nutrition tests, inflammation markers (C‑reactive protein/CRP) are included to separate true deficiency from disease effects. Used together, these biomarkers help identify risk, pinpoint which nutrients are lacking, guide targeted nutrition therapy, and monitor recovery—clarifying whether the body has the building blocks to maintain muscle, immunity, and healing.

Why are Malnutrition biomarkers important?

Malnutrition biomarkers are lab signals that show how well your body is building, repairing, and powering its tissues. They reflect protein stores, vitamin sufficiency, and the capacity of the liver, gut, bone, blood, and immune systems to do their jobs. When these markers drift, the whole network—from muscle strength to cognition and immunity—feels it.

Typical ranges: Albumin sits around 3.5–5.0 and total protein 6.0–8.3, with healthiest results usually near the middle. Vitamin D (25‑OH) is commonly considered sufficient between 20–50, with many people feeling best in the mid‑to‑higher part of that span. Folate often falls between 4–20, where mid‑to‑high supports red blood cell production and, in pregnancy, fetal neural development. Vitamin B12 is generally 200–900, with functional comfort usually in the middle to higher range.

When these are low, it often signals poor intake, impaired absorption, increased losses, or inflammation: albumin and total protein drop with reduced liver synthesis or losses through kidneys or gut, leading to edema, weakness, infections, and slow wound healing. Low vitamin D impairs calcium balance, causing bone pain and fracture risk. Low folate or B12 causes megaloblastic anemia (fatigue, pallor, tongue soreness); B12 deficiency can add numbness, balance issues, and memory changes. Children and teens may show slowed growth and learning; pregnancy magnifies folate needs to prevent neural tube defects; older adults are prone to B12 malabsorption. High albumin usually reflects dehydration; high total protein may suggest chronic inflammation or excess antibodies. Excess vitamin D raises calcium (nausea, kidney strain). High folate or B12 often reflects supplementation, but can mask or signal other conditions.

Big picture: these markers integrate nutrition with liver, kidney, gut, bone, blood, and nervous systems. Keeping them in a healthy zone supports resilience, immune defense, skeletal integrity, cognitive function, recovery from illness, and long‑term outcomes like fracture, infection, and pregnancy health.

What Insights Will I Get?

Malnutrition touches every system—energy production, metabolism, immunity, cognition, bone health, and recovery from illness. Tracking nutrition-sensitive biomarkers shows whether the body has the raw materials and protein reserves to maintain stability. At Superpower, we test Albumin, Total Protein, Vitamin D, Folate, and B12.

Albumin is the main blood protein made by the liver; it drops with protein-energy deficiency and with inflammation (hypoalbuminemia). Total Protein reflects albumin plus globulins and broadly mirrors protein supply or dilution. Vitamin D (25‑hydroxyvitamin D) is a fat‑soluble hormone precursor indicating intake, skin synthesis, and stores; low levels are common in undernutrition and fat malabsorption. Folate (serum folate) is a one‑carbon donor for DNA synthesis; insufficiency signals inadequate intake or absorption. B12 (cobalamin) is required for nerve and blood cell formation and depends on gastric and ileal absorption; low values often reflect intake or absorption deficits.

For stability and healthy function, Albumin indicates circulatory “reserve,” maintaining oncotic pressure and transporting hormones and drugs; low suggests reduced resilience, edema risk, and slower healing. Total Protein signals overall protein availability and immune globulin status; low implies compromised immune readiness and tissue repair. Vitamin D underpins bone mineralization, muscle performance, and immune modulation; low suggests skeletal fragility and dysregulated immune‑metabolic signaling. Folate supports rapid cell turnover and methylation; low points to impaired erythropoiesis and DNA repair. B12 maintains myelin and hematopoiesis; low threatens neurologic integrity, cognition, and oxygen‑carrying capacity.

Notes: Interpretation is influenced by inflammation and infection (acute‑phase effects), liver or kidney disease, dehydration or hemodilution (pregnancy), age‑related absorption decline, medications (metformin/PPIs for B12; anticonvulsants/methotrexate for folate), obesity and season for Vitamin D, and assay variability.