LAB REQUIREMENTS
Start with the right
pieces in place.
Use this guide to review Nexus Health lab requirements with your clinician. The lab checklist organizes the tests used to support your Nexus analysis.
ORDER THROUGH NEXUS
Quest labs, through us.
Ask our team about ordering the lab work needed for your analysis through Nexus.
USE YOUR OWN PROVIDER
Introduce your provider to Nexus Health.
Prefer to work through your own provider? Introduce them to Nexus Health so we can explore together whether our analysis is a good fit for your care.
Nexus Health lab requirements
to review with your clinician.
The lab checklist groups the main tests below. Your clinician decides which lab testing is appropriate. Follow the ordering clinician’s and lab’s preparation instructions.
Metabolic health
Fasting glucose
Measures blood sugar after a period without food. It helps your clinician assess glucose regulation and screen for or monitor diabetes.
Medical referenceA1c (HbA1c)
Estimates average blood sugar over the past two to three months. It gives a longer-term view of glucose control than a single glucose reading.
Medical referenceLipid panel
Measures cholesterol and triglycerides, including LDL and HDL. Your clinician uses these results alongside other risk factors to assess cardiovascular health.
Medical referenceInflammation & liver markers
hsCRP
Measures small amounts of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. It can help refine cardiovascular risk assessment, but does not identify the source of inflammation.
Medical referenceFerritin
Measures a protein that stores iron and helps assess iron reserves. Ferritin can also rise with inflammation, so your clinician reviews it alongside other findings.
Medical referenceGGT
Measures gamma-glutamyl transferase, an enzyme found mainly in the liver. It helps evaluate possible liver or bile-duct problems alongside other liver tests.
Medical referenceUric acid
Measures a waste product made when the body breaks down purines. It can help evaluate gout or certain kidney stones and monitor conditions that affect uric acid levels.
Medical referenceLDH
Measures lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme released when cells are damaged. It can help assess tissue injury, but cannot identify its location or cause on its own.
Medical referenceNutrients & methylation
Homocysteine
Measures an amino acid the body processes using B vitamins. It can help investigate possible B12 or folate deficiency; kidney function and other factors also affect the result.
Medical referenceVitamin B12
Checks levels of a vitamin needed for nerve function and red blood cell formation. It helps investigate possible deficiency, including when anemia or nerve symptoms are present.
Medical referenceFolate
Checks vitamin B9, which supports DNA production and healthy red blood cells. Your clinician may use it to investigate nutritional deficiency or certain types of anemia.
Medical referenceVitamin D
Usually measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D to assess vitamin D status. It helps investigate deficiency and support decisions about bone health or monitoring supplementation.
Medical referenceMagnesium
Measures magnesium in the blood, an electrolyte involved in muscle, nerve and heart function. It helps assess suspected imbalance, though blood levels do not reflect all magnesium stored in the body.
Medical referenceZinc
Measures zinc in the blood to help investigate a suspected deficiency. Your clinician interprets it alongside diet, symptoms and factors that can affect absorption.
Medical referenceCopper
Measures copper in the blood. It can support evaluation of suspected copper deficiency or disorders of copper metabolism, often alongside additional tests.
Medical referenceThyroid
TSH
Measures the pituitary signal that tells the thyroid to make hormones. It is commonly the first test used to assess whether thyroid activity may be too high or too low.
Medical referenceFree T3
Measures the unbound form of the active thyroid hormone T3. It may help evaluate suspected excess thyroid activity alongside other tests; free T3 measurement is not always reliable.
Medical referenceFree T4
Measures the unbound form of thyroxine, the main hormone made by the thyroid. Interpreted with TSH, it helps assess thyroid function.
Medical referenceReverse T3
Measures an inactive form of T3 produced from T4. It is not generally useful for diagnosing an underactive thyroid in otherwise healthy, non-hospitalized people; your clinician can advise whether it adds value.
Medical referenceTPO antibodies
Checks for antibodies against thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme used to make thyroid hormones. It can help identify autoimmune thyroid disease when interpreted with thyroid function tests.
Medical referenceTG antibodies
Checks for antibodies against thyroglobulin, a protein made by the thyroid. It can help investigate autoimmune thyroid disease alongside other thyroid results.
Medical referenceHormones
Total testosterone
Measures both protein-bound and unbound testosterone in the blood. Your clinician may use it to investigate symptoms of hormone imbalance, with timing and clinical context guiding interpretation.
Medical referenceFree testosterone
Measures or estimates testosterone that is not attached to proteins. It can add context when total testosterone alone does not explain symptoms or when binding-protein levels are altered.
Medical referenceDHEA-S
Measures an androgen hormone made mainly by the adrenal glands. It can help evaluate adrenal hormone production and investigate signs of excess androgens.
Medical referenceSHBG
Measures sex hormone-binding globulin, a protein that carries hormones such as testosterone. It helps explain how much hormone may be available to tissues when interpreted alongside hormone levels.
Medical referenceCortisol
Measures a hormone made by the adrenal glands that helps regulate metabolism and the stress response. Testing can help investigate excess or insufficient cortisol; collection time matters because levels change through the day.
Medical referenceFoundational markers
CBC with differential
Checks red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets; the differential separates the white cell types. It helps evaluate anemia, infection and other blood or immune-related changes.
Medical referenceCMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)
A group of 14 tests covering glucose, electrolytes, proteins and markers of kidney and liver function. It provides a broad overview of chemical balance and organ function.
Medical referenceBUN (blood urea nitrogen)
Measures urea nitrogen, a waste product from protein breakdown that the kidneys remove. It helps assess kidney function alongside creatinine; hydration and protein intake can also affect it.
Medical referenceCreatinine
Measures a waste product from normal muscle activity. It is used to estimate kidney filtration, often reported as eGFR, and is interpreted with factors such as muscle mass.
Medical referenceAlbumin
Measures a major protein made by the liver. It helps assess liver and kidney health and provides context for nutritional status, alongside other results.
Medical referenceGlobulin
Assesses a group of blood proteins involved in functions such as immune defense. The level and albumin-to-globulin ratio can help investigate liver, kidney or immune-related conditions.
Medical referenceOmega-3 Index
Measures EPA and DHA omega-3 fats as a percentage of fatty acids in red blood cells. It provides a longer-term view of omega-3 status to inform a nutrition discussion.
Medical referenceThe Nexus DNA kit.
A DNA report is more useful when you can see it beside your blood work and intake data.
Bring DNA into the picture.
Our team can explain availability, what is included, and the next steps before you order.
Explore the Nexus DNA kitQuestions about your lab results?
Ask us to help you review the lab checklist before you book more tests.
Ask the team