Category: Nutrition

Numbness, burning, or tingling in someone with diabetes deserves an explanation. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one possibility, but vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid disease, kidney disease, nerve compression, and other problems can produce similar symptoms. More […]

After bariatric surgery, iron monitoring should connect the procedure, symptoms, supplement plan, and possible blood loss. Iron deficiency can develop after weight-loss surgery even when the operation achieved its intended benefits. Changes in intake and […]

Being eligible to donate does not necessarily mean your iron reserves are fully replenished. You passed the donation center's screening and felt well enough to give blood. Could your iron stores still be low? Yes. […]

When treatment does not seem to help, the next step is to review the response, the treatment plan, and the reason iron was lost. You have been taking iron, but you still feel tired—or your […]

Selected 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium, albumin, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) tests can help clarify the pattern. Ulta Lab Tests provides the linked laboratory options for a plan developed with your healthcare professional. This information is […]

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, occurs when too little pancreatic digestive-enzyme activity reaches the intestine to digest food adequately. It can cause greasy stools, unintended weight loss, and nutritional problems. The stool pancreatic elastase-1 test […]

Vitamin B12 deficiency develops when the body does not have enough usable B12 to support normal nerve function and blood-cell production. Autoimmune gastritis is one possible cause: immune damage to the stomach lining can interfere […]

How calcium, PTH, vitamin D, kidney function, and urine calcium work together to clarify a possible parathyroid disorder. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) occurs when one or more parathyroid glands release hormone inappropriately for the calcium concentration […]

A white blood cell count measures the total number of white blood cells in a blood sample. A high result is called leukocytosis; a low result is called leukopenia. Neither result names a cause by […]

Direct answer: Nutrient deficiency symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, poor concentration, numbness or tingling, reduced exercise tolerance, mouth or tongue changes, and muscle symptoms, but none is specific to a deficiency. Focused blood tests for […]

Short answer: Falling asleep after eating is not, by itself, a reliable sign of diabetes. Post-meal sleepiness, also called postprandial somnolence, can occur because of a normal early-afternoon dip in alertness, insufficient sleep, a large […]

An insulin resistance diet is not one prescribed menu. It is a flexible eating pattern that emphasizes nonstarchy vegetables, fiber-rich carbohydrate foods, protein, and unsaturated fats while limiting sugary drinks, refined grains, and heavily processed […]

Originally published: July 11, 2026 | Substantively updated: August 26, 2026 Fatigue, brain fog, low stamina, and poor recovery can feel like an iron problem—but the symptoms are not specific enough to identify the cause. […]

Originally published May 10, 2026. Updated August 26, 2026. Iron status is not one laboratory number. A serum iron result can change with meals, supplements, time of day, illness, and ordinary biological variation. Ferritin estimates […]

Iron deficiency anemia is not simply a low hemoglobin result, a low serum iron result, or a reason to take an iron supplement indefinitely. The diagnosis contains two connected findings: iron deficiency and anemia. The […]

CBC and anemia blood tests evaluate the number, size, and distribution of blood cells and help organize common anemia and blood-cell patterns.1 A complete blood count with differential and platelets measures red cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, […]

Neurological Blood Tests: The Direct Answer Neurological blood tests can help identify treatable or clinically relevant contributors to memory change, numbness, weakness, headache, balance problems, and other neurological symptoms. Common questions involve blood-cell patterns, glucose […]

Vitamin and nutrient deficiency tests are blood and, less often, urine tests used to investigate a defined question about low intake, malabsorption, blood loss, medication effects, pregnancy-related risk, a prior abnormal result, or possible supplement […]

Pregnancy blood tests and prenatal urine tests are used for several different purposes. Early testing commonly evaluates pregnancy hormone status when needed, blood counts, blood type and Rh factor, unexpected red-cell antibodies, urine bacteria, immunity […]

Digestive health lab tests use blood, stool, and sometimes breath samples to look for objective clues related to anemia, dehydration, inflammation, infection, celiac disease, nutrient malabsorption, pancreatic enzyme problems, hidden blood in stool, and selected […]

Vitamin D tests do not all measure the same form of vitamin D. Learn which blood test is generally used to evaluate vitamin D status, when D2 and D3 fractions may add context, and why […]

A laboratory result usually answers a straightforward question: How much of a substance is present? A biomarker ratio asks a second question: How does that result relate to another part of the same biological system? […]

Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Although diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, and bowel urgency are well-known warning signs, intestinal inflammation can […]

Rapid weight loss with medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide can lead to meaningful changes in body weight, appetite, blood sugar, and cardiometabolic health. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, commonly called a GLP-1 […]

Magnesium for Sleep and Anxiety: What the Evidence and Lab Tests Can Tell You Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of enzyme systems that support nerve signaling, muscle function, energy production, blood sugar […]