Where To Buy Vitamin C Test Strips
Background: Vitamin C is a strong reducing agent found at high levels in various foods, and it may influence the results of urine strip tests even at an ordinary consumption levels. After oral administration, we measured urine vitamin C levels using urine strips and evaluated whether vitamin C interfered with various test items. The utility of a urine strip with a vitamin C indicator was assessed.
where to buy vitamin c test strips
Methods: Thirty-three healthy volunteers each ingested 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Their urine samples were tested for vitamin C using a URiSCAN 11 strip (YD Diagnostics, Korea) before and after administration of vitamin C. Standard materials were added to normal pooled urine to generate urine samples with various concentrations of the analytes tested (blood, bilirubin, nitrite, leukocytes, and glucose), and vitamin C was spiked to predetermined levels. These samples were then tested using two urine strips - URiSCAN and Chemstrip test strip (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) - to evaluate interference from vitamin C. In clinical samples with positive vitamin C results, microscopic and chemical analyses were also conducted to examine the differences.
Results: Thirteen urine samples from the 33 volunteers were positive for vitamin C before ingestion, and all subjects were positive after ingestion. Vitamin C spiking of urine demonstrated false-negative results at various concentrations. Of 159 specimens with positive results for vitamin C, 14 showed discrepant results after additional confirmatory tests.
Conclusions: Vitamin C in urine can cause significant interference with urine strip tests. A urine strip with a vitamin C indicator is useful to reduce the risk of incorrect results in regard to disease states.
Our dipstick results for glucose, leukocyte esterase, and hemoglobin for samples with added vitamin C changed compared with the results for the original samples without vitamin C. The degree of interference increased with the urinary vitamin C concentration, as reported previously.6 As is well known, vitamin C did not interfere with the protein test.1 However, we also did not observe interference in the nitrite test. However, we tested only three samples that were positive for nitrite, so it is difficult to say that vitamin C does not interfere with the nitrite test.
Wondering if you get enough Vitamin C through diet and/or nutrient supplements? VitaChek-C strips have been exclusively created by Riordan Clinic for in vitro measurement of urine Vitamin C. Each bottle contains 50 test strips. Start by testing early in the day before eating or taking nutrients. Then test after breakfast and again in the afternoon. Test a final time right before bed. The test strips are designed to be a fast and simple way to check your nutrient levels of Vitamin C daily so that you can adjust your diet or nutrient regimen accordingly.
Glucose meters are increasingly used in hospitals and home settings. These handheld devices provide instant readings and are therefore, beneficial for glucose-level monitoring in patients with diabetes [1]. Nonetheless, there have been concerns regarding the measurement accuracy of glucose meters. Some substances, such as vitamin C and maltose, are considered responsible for errors in glucose measurements using point-of-care testing glucose meters [1,2,3]. Vitamin C is widely used in the treatment of cancer, viral infections, severe burns, and chronic fatigue syndrome because of the antioxidant effects [4]. Maltose can be upregulated in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis involving icodextrin as an osmotic agent [3]. High concentrations of vitamin C and maltose in blood can lead to false increase in glucose meter readings, resulting in misdiagnosis of hypoglycemia and potential fatalities [1]. Therefore, there is an urgent need for interference-resistant glucose meters [5]. We evaluated the interference of vitamin C and maltose with glucose readings obtained using the following three meters: Accuchek Inform (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN, USA), Starstrip (Nova Biomedical, Waltham, MA, USA), and Barozen H plus (i-SENS Inc., Seoul, Korea). These three models are based on the glucose dehydrogenase-pyrroloquinoline quinone (GDH-PQQ), modified glucose oxidase (GOD), and GDH-flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) assays, respectively [5,6].
After prior depletion of glucose by overnight storage at room temperature, we prepared three pooled blood specimens [4] from EDTA-treated whole blood samples and added glucose (CAS 50-99-7, Duksan Pure Chemicals Co., Ansan, Korea) at final concentrations of 60, 126, or 300 mg/dL. To study the effect of various concentrations of vitamin C (0, 3, 15, or 30 mg/dL) [7] or maltose (0, 10, 40, 200, or 500 mg/dL) [8], we added 0.15 mL of the vitamin C or maltose stock solutions (control: normal saline) to 3 mL of pooled blood specimens. The stock solutions were prepared from L-ascorbic acid (CAS 50-81-7, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) and D (+) -maltose monohydrate (CAS 6363-53-7, Junsei Chemical Co., Tokyo, Japan). Then, we compared the whole blood glucose readings of the specimens, with and without an interfering substance, using three glucose meters. We also measured the plasma glucose levels in each sample with Hitachi 7600 chemistry analyzer (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) for a benchmark comparison. Each sample was tested in duplicate. Assessment of interference and accuracy for each glucose meter was performed according to the criteria of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15197:2013(E) [9].
Accuchek Inform glucose level readings at all concentrations were subject to significant positive interference (>10% deviation from control sample levels) from vitamin C presence at concentrations of 15 and 30 mg/dL, whereas no significant positive interference was observed for Barozen H plus and Starstrip models (Fig. 1). However, Starstrip failed to produce readings in two out of three measurements in specimens, which contained 30 mg/dL vitamin C (Fig. 1). In contrast to the effect of vitamin C, no significant interference at any maltose concentration was noted for all the three models tested (Fig. 1). Owing to interference from high concentrations of vitamin C (15 and 30 mg/dL), Accuchek Inform showed unacceptable accuracy levels (>15% difference from the value obtained by the chemistry analyzer; Table 1). Starstrip generally showed lower readings than those determined by the chemistry analyzer, especially at higher glucose concentrations: a negative bias >15% was detected in four out of nine measurements (Table 1).
Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that inactivates free radicals and can be oxidized at the surface of electrochemical strips producing electrons and increasing the current [1]. Icodextrin, an osmotic agent used in peritoneal dialysis, is metabolized in the systemic circulation into various glucose polymers, mainly maltose [10]. It can interfere with readings obtained using GDH-PQQ-based method, because GDH-PQQ catalyzes the oxidation of not only glucose but also other sugars [1]. Thus, vitamin C and maltose can cause positive interference resulting in misdiagnosis of true glucose levels. However, GDH currently used in Accuchek Inform was modified by the manufacturer to increase enzyme specificity for glucose and to diminish probability of incorrect high glucose readings [8]. In this study, all three glucose meters showed reliable results in presence of maltose. However, at higher vitamin C concentrations, Accuchek Inform showed a positive bias, while Starstrip occasionally malfunctioned.
This test checks for folate and vitamin B12. Pregnant and breastfeeding people may have a higher risk of folate or B12 deficiency. This is because there is a higher demand for these nutrients to support a developing fetus.
The accuracy of a vitamin deficiency test depends on the company, the sample collection, and various procedures. If the company designs its devices in line with medical guidelines and people take their samples correctly, the test results may be accurate.
An at-home vitamin deficiency test is a useful alternative if a person cannot easily access healthcare services due to location, health, or insurance coverage, but they should not replace regular doctor appointments.
There are two main ways a person can get their vitamin levels checked. A person can contact a doctor, who will order the test and help the person provide a sample. Or, they can order an at-home test and complete the test themselves.
Unlike the gFOBT (see below), there are no drug or dietary restrictions before the FIT test (because vitamins and foods do not affect the test), and collecting the samples may be easier. This test is also less likely to react to bleeding from the upper parts of the digestive tract, such as the stomach.
A stool DNA test (also known as a multitargeted stool DNA test[MT-sDNA] or FIT-DNA) looks for certain abnormal sections of DNA from cancer or polyp cells and also for occult (hidden) blood. Colorectal cancer or polyp cells often have DNA mutations (changes) in certain genes. Cells with these mutations often get into the stool, where tests may be able to find them. Cologuard, the only test currently available in the US, tests for both DNA changes and blood in the stool (FIT).
pH: this test is based on the well known double pH indicator method, where bromothymol blue and methyl red give distinguishable colors over the pH range of 5-9. The colors range from red-orange to yellow and yellow-green to blue-green.
Thank you for your informed advice . I make vitamin c serum every few days and am much more comfortable with a volumetric form of measurement. Would it be correct to say that for 20 % strength for a 20 ml bottle the ratio would be: 4 teaspoons of water to 1 teaspoon of ascorbic acid?Also, I use aloe Vera in place of distilled water is that alright and add a drop or 2 of glycerine. I see now the importance of the ph and just ordered those strips.Thank you! 041b061a72