Amino Acids Test

About this test

Key Benefits

• Broad Amino Acid Profile: Measures 26 amino acids involved in protein metabolism, recovery, mood and energy.

• Helpful for Fatigue and Recovery: May be relevant when low energy, poor recovery, muscle weakness or low motivation are difficult to explain.

• Nutrition and Protein Insight: Helps you understand how your body uses amino acids from food and supplementation.

• Simple At Home Testing: Collect a finger prick blood sample at home using the included test kit.

• Digital Results in 10 to 15 Business Days: Access your laboratory results online.

What This Test Measures

• Essential Amino Acids and Protein Status
  Shows whether the body has access to amino acids that must come from the diet. These are important for muscle maintenance, recovery, tissue repair, metabolism and overall protein status.

• Conditionally Essential Amino Acids and Recovery
  Provides insight into amino acids that may become especially important during stress, training, recovery, illness, digestive strain or increased physical demand.

• Protein Processing and Recovery
  Shows amino acids involved in how the body processes protein and handles byproducts from amino acid breakdown. This can provide insight into protein use, recovery and overall metabolic balance.

• Neurotransmitter and Nervous System Support
  Includes amino acids involved in nervous system signalling and pathways linked to calm, focus, stress response, moodand cognitive function.

• Metabolic Amino Acid Intermediates
  Provides additional insight into amino acids involved in broader metabolism, cellular function and the way the body converts nutrients into usable compounds.

How It Works

1. Order Your Kit
Purchase your test online.

2. Collect Your Sample
Collect a finger prick blood sample at home using the included test kit.

3. Send It Back
Mail your sample to the laboratory using the prepaid return materials.

4. Receive Your Results
Access your digital laboratory results online in 10 to 15 business days.

Sample Collection

The sample is collected using a finger prick blood sample at home. A few drops of blood are placed onto the collection card according to the included instructions and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

For best results, the sample should be collected in the morning on an empty stomach.

ISO Certified Lab and Analysis

Your sample is analyzed in an ISO certified laboratory to measure amino acid levels in blood.

Biomarkers included

• GABA: GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter and helps regulate neuronal excitability by promoting calm signaling and preventing overstimulation. It counterbalances excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate and is involved in pathways related to stress regulation, sleep, mood, and muscle tone. Altered GABA signaling has been linked to conditions such as an
• Alanine: Alanine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning the body can produce it. It plays an important role in protein synthesis and energy metabolism, particularly through the glucose–alanine cycle, where alanine helps transport nitrogen and carbon between muscle and liver. Alanine is also involved in nitrogen balance and serves as a substrate in several metabolic pathways. Measured levels may provide ins
• Lysine: Lysine is an essential amino acid, meaning it must be obtained through diet. It plays a crucial role in protein synthesis, collagen and elastin production (important for skin, bone, and connective tissue), calcium absorption, and immune function. Deficiency can lead to impaired growth, weakened immunity, and tissue repair issues. It's also commonly used to manage cold sores caused by the herpes si
• Phenylalanine: Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, meaning it must be obtained through diet. It serves as a building block for proteins and is crucial for the synthesis of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, playing a vital role in brain function and mood regulation. Elevated levels can indicate phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder requiring dietary management.
• Beta-alanine: Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that supports muscle endurance and exercise performance. It helps produce carnosine, a compound that buffers acid in muscles and reduces fatigue during high-intensity activity. Commonly found in meat, fish, and poultry, beta-alanine is also widely used in supplements to enhance workout capacity and delay muscle exhaustion.
• Histidine: Histidine is an essential amino acid, particularly important for growth and tissue repair. It's a precursor to histamine, a molecule involved in immune responses, digestion, and sleep-wake cycles. Histidine also plays a role in maintaining the myelin sheath that protects nerve cells. Imbalances can be associated with inflammatory conditions, allergies, and neurological disorders.
• Leucine: Leucine is an essential branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), meaning it must be obtained through diet. It's particularly important for protein synthesis and muscle growth, acting as a key signal for muscle protein production. Leucine also plays a role in blood sugar regulation and wound healing. It's commonly supplemented by athletes to support muscle recovery and growth.
• Citrulline: Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid produced mainly by enterocytes (cells lining the small intestine) and is involved in nitrogen handling as part of the urea cycle. In the body, citrulline can also be converted into arginine, supporting pathways such as nitric oxide production. Because circulating citrulline largely reflects small-intestinal enterocyte function and mass, it is often used as
• Sarcosine: Sarcosine is an amino acid that supports mental health and metabolism. It plays a role in synthesizing other amino acids, aiding muscle growth, and supporting cognitive function. Naturally present in egg yolks, turkey, and legumes, sarcosine is linked to brain health and is being explored for its potential in mental health research.
• Taurine: Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, though not incorporated into proteins, that plays a crucial role in various physiological processes. It is vital for bile acid conjugation, osmoregulation, membrane stabilization, and neurotransmission. Its levels can indicate nutritional status, cardiovascular health, and neurological function.
• Homoarginine: Homoarginine is a compound that supports cardiovascular health by enhancing nitric oxide production, which helps widen blood vessels and improve blood flow. Found in small amounts in legumes and fish, homoarginine plays a key role in regulating blood pressure and maintaining heart function. Proper levels of homoarginine are important for healthy circulation and overall heart and blood vessel healt
• Threonine: Threonine is an essential amino acid, meaning the human body cannot produce it and it must be obtained through diet. It plays a crucial role in protein synthesis, immune function, and maintaining structural components like collagen and elastin. Imbalances in threonine levels can impact growth, metabolism, and nerve function.
• Aspartic acid: Aspartic acid is a non-essential amino acid involved in several key metabolic pathways. It supports cellular energy metabolism through its role in the citric acid (TCA) cycle and contributes to amino acid and nucleotide metabolism. Aspartate is also involved in nitrogen handling, including pathways linked to ammonia clearance via the urea cycle. In the nervous system, it can act as an excitatory s
• Glutamine: Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body and is important for protein synthesis, nitrogen transport, and overall amino acid metabolism. It serves as a key fuel source for rapidly dividing cells, including immune cells and intestinal cells (enterocytes), supporting immune function and gut barrier integrity. Glutamine also participates in pathways related to acid–base balance and t
• Glutamic acid: Glutamic acid, also known as glutamate, is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It is crucial for learning, memory, and cognitive function through its role in synaptic plasticity. Glutamate also participates in protein synthesis, immune function, and intestinal health. However, excessive levels can be neurotoxic, contributing to neurological disorders. Measu
• Tyrosine: Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that serves as a building block for proteins and is crucial for synthesizing neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, as well as thyroid hormones. Its levels are important for proper brain function, mood regulation, and metabolic health. Imbalances can be indicative of metabolic disorders or nutritional deficiencies.
• Serine: Serine is a non-essential amino acid crucial for protein synthesis, neurotransmitter synthesis (particularly serotonin and glycine), and cell membrane formation. It's also involved in folate metabolism and immune function, making its levels reflective of overall nutritional status and various metabolic processes. Imbalances can be associated with neurological disorders and metabolic conditions.
• Glycine: Glycine is the simplest amino acid and is involved in protein synthesis and many important metabolic pathways. It contributes to neurotransmission in the nervous system and is a building block for compounds such as glutathione (antioxidant defense), creatine (energy metabolism), and heme (oxygen transport). Glycine can be produced in the body, but requirements may increase under certain conditions
• Isoleucine: Isoleucine is an essential branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) that the body cannot produce on its own and must obtain from diet. It's crucial for protein synthesis, muscle metabolism, and energy production. Levels of isoleucine can be indicative of nutritional status, muscle breakdown, and certain metabolic disorders.
• Asparagine: Asparagine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning the body can synthesize it. It supports protein synthesis and plays a role in nitrogen transport and overall nitrogen balance. Asparagine is also involved in cellular metabolism through its relationship with aspartate and related amino acid pathways. Measured levels can reflect aspects of amino acid metabolism and may be influenced by diet, liver a
• Proline: Proline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning the body can synthesize it, but it also comes from the diet. It plays a crucial role in collagen synthesis, a primary structural protein in connective tissues, skin, and bones. Therefore, proline levels can indirectly reflect collagen turnover and overall connective tissue health.
• Arginine: Arginine is an amino acid involved in protein synthesis and several metabolic pathways, including immune function. It is also a key precursor for nitric oxide (NO) production, a signaling molecule that helps regulate blood vessel tone and supports normal blood flow. Adequate arginine availability contributes to normal vascular function and is important for a range of physiological processes, inclu
• Tryptophan: Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning the human body cannot produce it and must obtain it through diet. It serves as a precursor for crucial molecules like serotonin (a neurotransmitter regulating mood, sleep, and appetite) and melatonin (a hormone central to sleep-wake cycles). Optimal tryptophan levels are vital for neurological function, mental health, and sleep regulation.
• Methionine: Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning it must be obtained through diet. It's a key methyl donor in methylation reactions, which are vital for various cellular processes, including DNA synthesis, detoxification, and neurotransmitter production. Methionine is also a precursor to cysteine and taurine. Imbalances can be associated with cardiovascular disease, liver disorders, and homocysteine
• Valine: Valine is an essential amino acid, meaning the body cannot produce it and it must be obtained through diet. It's a crucial building block for proteins and plays a vital role in muscle growth and repair, energy production, and cognitive function. As a biomarker, its levels can reflect nutritional status, protein metabolism, and may be altered in conditions like maple syrup urine disease or kidney d
• Ornithine: Ornithine is a non-essential amino acid involved in the urea cycle, which removes ammonia from the body. It plays a role in wound healing, immune function, and the production of growth hormone. Ornithine is often used as a supplement to improve athletic performance and sleep quality, and its levels can reflect liver function and urea cycle efficiency.

How to prepare

The sample should be taken in the **morning on an empty stomach**. Follow the included instructions carefully before collecting your sample. Avoid eating before the test unless otherwise instructed.

Frequently asked questions

Why are amino acids important?

Amino acids are used to build proteins and support processes related to muscle repair, energy, immune function, metabolism, digestion and neurotransmitter production.

Can this test be useful if I feel tired or recover poorly?

Yes. Amino acid balance can be relevant when looking at fatigue, low energy, poor recovery, muscle weakness or increased physical demand, especially when diet or protein intake may not tell the full story.

How does this differ from a standard Nutrition Test?

While both tests measure nutritional markers, the Amino Acids test focuses specifically on the 26 building blocks of protein and neurotransmitters. The Nutrition Test typically covers vitamins and minerals. Using both tests together provides a complete overview of your cellular health and nutrient status.

Customer reviews

4.6/5 (5)

• 5/5 — Finally found out why my recovery was so slow after workouts. Very insightful data.
• 5/5 — Easy to follow instructions.
• 5/5 — Straightforward process and the results arrived right on time.
• 4/5 — Fast shipping, but remember you have to fast before taking the sample.
• 4/5 — The report was very detailed and gave me a clear picture of my protein levels. Took about two weeks for results.