Longevity, Biohacking Nick Engerer Longevity, Biohacking Nick Engerer

Immediately Actionable Insights via Micronutrient Testing

Considering a micronutrient test? Do these two things first!

Want to take a micronutrient test? Order your own without a doctor!

Micronutrient test results are in!

Imagine my excitement as the moment finally arrived - the comprehensive results from my 15 vials of blood and four detailed blood tests arrived in my inbox. After 4 weeks of waiting, the mountain of data arrived and the real fun of digging through it for actionable insights began. To get started, I’d like to share with you three immediately actionable insights I gained from my micronutrient blood test.

Micronutrient Test for Glutamine (Actionable Insight #1)

Huffing and puffing my way towards my cardio goals (I plan to run my first 10km race this year) sure leads to a lot of SWEAT. Much more than I’ve personally been used to. I’ve established a solid routine where 6 days/week, I am up early in the morning getting in a vigorous walk of 5k+ steps or run workout (trail runs, endurance training - follow me on Strava). However, unbeknownst to me, that SWEAT was taking with it a critical micronutrient needed for the success of many different bodily systems - Glutamine.

Glutamine is an amino acid that plays a critical role in the synthesis of proteins, which has impacts for many bodily systems. In fact, it is the most abundant amino acid in the human body. This being the case, it is also abundant in a wide variety of our food choices - including meats like beef, chicken and fish, dairy products, eggs, and many vegetables (leafy greens, carrots, cabbage, beets).

After a deep dive on all the best options, I opted for this L-Glutamine powder from California Gold. They also offer a capsule form. Save 10% and support the Longevity Blog with code EYU021

After a deep dive on all the best options, I opted for this L-Glutamine powder from California Gold. They also offer a capsule form. Save 10% and support the Longevity Blog with code EYU021

But my levels were low, as in rock-bottom low, and that had many knock-on effects to my neurological function, gastrointestinal barrier, my liver performance, my joint health, my skin vitality and my mitochondrial function. Just check out the useful summary graphic provided in my report (the one with the multiple indicator “gauges”, note that you can click on the image to see the full size)


Low glutamine is simply put - bad news. For a young and healthy person looking to optimise his wellbeing and longevity, this was certainly limiting my performance. For some perspective on just how low my levels were, check out the reference ranges in the next image. The ‘Serum’ levels (what was detectable in my blood liquid - not the actual cells) was only 23.6 nmol/mL! Thankfully, the amount in my white blood cells (WBC), which is an indicator of long-term micronutrient availability was in the normal range, but the serum level was nonetheless quite problematic.

Needless to say, I jumped on a high quality glutamine supplement from my brand of choice (California Gold - save 10% and support Longevity Blog with code EYU021 ) within a few days. I immediately enjoyed a noticeable improvement in my gastrointestinal health, with knock on effects to the health of my skin (less acne breakouts) within just a few days. The bottom line here - this was incredibly valuable and highly actionable information that was available to me through this micronutrient test.

Micronutrient Testing - Glutamine.png

Micronutrient Test for Chromium (Actionable Insight #2)

My glutamine levels weren’t the only important micronutrient that was critically low, as my intense levels of exercise and SWEAT were also depleting an important mineral - Chromium. Further research revealed that Chromium is commonly deficient in athletes for this reason.

Chromium plays a very important role in metabolism, and is directly involved in the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates. With respect to fats, it stimulates the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. For carbohydrates, it is involved in the regulation of insulin. It also is involved in the metabolism of some amino acids. Once again - very important!

I took a pretty picture for you! Chromium Piccolinate to the rescue!

I took a pretty picture for you! Chromium Piccolinate to the rescue!

Dietary sources of chromium include broccoli and green beans (which I eat daily!), meats like beef and poultry, and fruits like apples and bananas (which I regularly also enjoy). However these dietary sources are still relatively low.

This makes chromium supplementation a well-informed choice for me and for anyone else who is moderately active (or wants to better manage their insulin levels, e.g diabetics), which is the second immediately actionable insight I garnered from my NextHealth micronutrient test. I turned to my vitamin supplier of choice - Thorne for a Chromium Piccolinate supplement, but later pivoted to the cheaper version from Now and take it twice a week with my Vitamin C and B-vitamin complex to improve absorption. Just like with the Glutamine options on iherb - use the discount code EYU021 to save 5% and support the Longevity Blog!

Micronutrient Test for Vitamin K1 (Actionable Insight #3)

There are two forms of the fat-soluble vitamin K needed by the body - K1 and K2. These are important for blood clotting, regulation of calcium (particularly bone metabolism) and cardiovascular health. Vitamin K also plays a role in mitochondria producing energy for your cells.

It also turns out, that despite plenty of dietary intake of Vitamins K1 and K2 in my vegetable rich diet, my micronutrient testing revealed critically low amounts of Vitamin K1 in my blood serum. Additionally, despite my 100mcg/day supplementation of K2, it was also fairly low. This clearly made supplementation of Vitamin K1 (and continued supplementation of K2) the third immediately actionable insight gained from my micronutrient testing at NextHealth.

Micronutrient Testing - Vitamin K1.png

Conclusion - Micronutrient Testing is a Valuable, Actionable Tool

There is so much more that I gained from my micronutrient testing that I hope to share with you in upcoming posts (be sure to subscribe to the Longevity Blog!), including my Omega 3/6 balance, copper-zinc ratio and antioxidant levels. However, even without these added benefits, I believe the outcome of my first micronutrient test is clear - regular assessment (I’m guessing every 6-months) of one’s micronutrients provides actionable insights that can be used to improve your health and optimise longevity.

I’d like to close with my sincere thanks to NextHealth for living up to their mission as a Health Optimisation and Longevity Center, and making is simple, straightforward and affordable to access this resource. I’ll certainly be back for my next micronutrient test in 2020!

Follow-up Post: Considering a micronutrient test? Do these two things first!

READY TO Test Your Micronutrient Status?

We’ve found three valuable DIY options for you! No doctor required!

HealthLabs USA)

UltaWellness (USA)

I-Screen (Australia)

  1. Nutrition Check

I've really been enjoying training hard for #triathlon, however, all of the training can be quite challenging for the body, particularly the central nervous system. Luckily, in the age of #wearables, you can monitor your #biometrics to see how your
Building muscle has always been a hot trend. But in being so, the messaging is also full of a lot of hot air . Understanding building muscle really 'clicked' for me, as soon as I researched & mastered my understanding of muscle protein synthesis
“What are your plans for the day?” the tall brunette asked, as she rung up my Lulu Lemon shopping spree (I needed some new running shorts! They didn’t disappoint). . “I’m actually headed around the corner for a ‘mo
The finish line - it's not just the end of the race, it is the end of strategically planned committment, months in the making . One of my favourite aspects of #triathlon has been the planning, strategising and tactical execution. . Along with it, th
Byron Bay Triathlon - Complete! What a blast! Honestly folks, I'm hooked. There was so much to love about the event . The swim leg totally kicked my ass. I got caught in a strong cross current pulling me away from the first buoy, and then had a hellu
Spent some time testing out the new #triathlon suit today. I went for a very short run, with a bit of speed, just to feel it out . Then I made sure to get good and soaking wet, before hopping on the bike to see how slippery things got . Can't say I'v
To be honest, I'm a bit intimidated by the concept of doing a #triathlon. I've simply never been in a competitive sports event this serious before . What I mean by that is, I've had to train for it. You can't just rock up and do this event like an af
The back of my Pajero has never looked so good . Clearly I've developed a red theme - but hey, red = fast right? . I've been impressed with the amount of planning and coordination #triathlon takes. Perhaps that is another element of the discipline .
15km ride on the bike, followed by 3km run. Another way to 'brick' workout. . Lessons learnt? Shake your aero water bottle or that endurance fuel will taste more like a pixie stick than an energy drink. Plus, your legs are gonna feel dead when you g
Just finished a 'Brick' workout - which has become one of my favourite parts of #triathlon training. . Triathlon could be described as a practice not in mastering three sports, but mastering their integration . In a Brick, you put two of the triathlo
Nearly two years separate these photos of my face. The question is, which one is younger? Drop your guess below 👇🏻 . #beauty #aging #facecare
One of the newer longevity supplements to hit the scene is Urolithin A. This molecule is certainly turning some heads in the #longevity & #wellness #biohacking community, owing to an unusually wide array of purported benefits! . Perhaps the most
I’ve recently decided to train for #triathlon. This was out of paired desire to enhance my #longevity and a personal resonance with the idea of competing in this epic #sport. . There is no better ‘drug’ for your longevity than the r
#trathlon training - my next biological age experiment. So far I’ve added 6kg muscle, improved my VO2max, added more healthy mitochondria and eliminated the dysfunctional ones, boosted NAD levels naturally and much more ... but what will it mea
Full-body #MRI data is powerful. When combined with post-processing algorithms and machine learning, it can become a core part of your optimisation and #longevity strategy. For me, it’s a first line of defence for early detection of #cancer, bu
One of the biggest supporters and resources in my #longevity journey is the Human Longevity Inc - @health.nucleus! . Every 12-18 months, I head to this amazing #proactive #healthcare centre to have a team of medical experts look deep into my #health
#Immunity is on our minds lately, and in the latest #longevityblog post, I share my experience with @next_health Super Immune IV therapy. The first image you presents a selection of white blood cell counts (WBC) and differentials (the breakdown of t

FDA & TGA DISCLAIMER

This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for medical care or to prescribe treatment for any specific health condition. These blog posts are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and only may become actionable through consultation with a medical professional.

Read More
Longevity, Biohacking Nick Engerer Longevity, Biohacking Nick Engerer

Why I Just Gave 15 Vials of Blood at NextHealth

Visiting NextHealth in Los Angeles to See and Experience Proactive Healthcare in Action

I’m coming off a real high having just been to LA and San Diego over this past week and not just because I had my face bathed in some awesome infrared radiation with a “Light Stim” (see this IG post and be sure to give me follow 😉). No, I’m jazzed because I FINALLY visited NextHealth in Century City, LA - and let me tell you, it was a life changing experience!

What is NextHealth?

NextHealth refer to themselves as a “Health Optimisation and Longevity Center” - as you can imagine, I fit quite squarely into their market segment (I am trying to Biohack my way to a vibrant, healthy, long life after all). They do everything from cryotherapy to dermatology and IV vitamin infusions to blood testing.

Why Did I Visit NextHealth?

This time I was out for blood 💉!!

NextHealth offers a few blood test products that I was very interested in for supporting my longevity journey. These are:

And then, upon further digging into some other options during my visit to the site, I decided to also add on:

My Motivation: Get Feedback and Optimise

There is simply no way to start to introduce all of the different things that will be covered by the above blood tests, those are quite extensive! But I do have a select number of things that drew me to these blood test options, by blood test product they are:

  • Total Baseline:

    • I was very interested in my NMR spectroscopy results so I can better understand what the particles sizes make up my LDL cholesterol

    • I am in my early 30s and undertaking many ‘hacks’ to keep my testosterone high - are they working? (dutch test hormone data!)

  • Micronutrient Testing

    • I have an aggressive supplement regimen (30+ supplements a day and climbing), and micronutrient testing will help me adjust the levels of supplementation very accurately

  • Genomic Fit

  • Food Sensitivity Testing

    • Figuring what foods you are sensitive to (different from being allergic) is very difficult to do with dietary testing alone, and I can tell I still have some foods in my diet that give me inflammation - what are they? I must know so I can ban them and protect my gut lining!

All Up I Gave 15 Vials of Blood in the Name of Science

“It’s less blood than it looks like”, Ashley, the gorgeous phlebotomist let me know. “We’re almost done”

Good, cause I was totally light-headed already.

“Yeah, I passed out once when I gave about 30x vials for a scientific research study”, I let her know. “But don’t worry, I totally gave that nurse a heads up that I was on my way out”, I joked.

She just laughed and smiled re-assuringly (and probably thinking “God, don’t let this guy fall over on me…”). Thankfully Nick stayed conscious this time, and just like she promised - the blood draw was over quite quickly.

And might I say - it was an exceptionally professional job done on the blood draw, complete with a comfortable chair and warm-up blanket over the arm to kick it off. A smoother experience than I have had in many hospitals!

While I’m Waiting for the Blood Test Results…

I am not going to get my blood results back until early December, so this story is far from reaching its conclusion. In fact that visit to NextHealth was so life-changing, I easily have 10-15 more blog posts I’d like to write about it.

One thing is for sure, I will have plenty of material to work with. I once again am going to find myself with a stack of amazing health data to dig through! It is my plan to walk through some key lessons I learn from those blood results in upcoming blog posts, so be sure to subscribe to the blog if you’d like to see what happens!

Read More