Genova's unique approach to nutritional testing begins by assessing the body's biochemical pathways. Marked accumulation of organic acids or amino acids in urine can signal a metabolic inhibition or block. The metabolic block may be due to a nutrient deficiency, an inherited enzyme deficit, toxin build-up, or drug effect. Enzymes that are responsible for metabolizing organic acids and amino acids are vitamin and mineral dependent. With this, elevations in organic acids or amino acids can reflect a functional need for these nutrients on a cellular and biochemical level, even despite normal serum levels.[27,28,29,30,31] Recommendations for nutrient supplementation based on results are generated using a literature-based proprietary algorithm.

Traditionally, urinary organic and amino acid assessment has been used in neonatal/pediatric medicine to identify genetic inborn errors of metabolism, with severity depending on the degree and type of error.* In many cases of genetic inborn errors, the enzymatic defect may be compensated for by high doses of specific vitamin and mineral cofactors and/or dietary interventions. Intervention with higher-dose nutrient cofactors may also be effective in cases of decreased enzyme activity due to causes other than frank inborn errors.

There are various methods of assessing nutrient status, including intracellular and extracellular direct measurement, and measuring biochemical pathway markers. The NutrEval utilizes all of these methods, making it the only nutritional profile of its kind.

* Genova's organic acid testing is not intended for the diagnosis of neonatal inborn errors of metabolism.