Cell Science Systems · Intracellular Analysis

55 markers.
Inside your cells.

Serum tests show what's circulating in your blood. CMA shows what's actually inside your cells — where enzymatic function, mitochondrial energy production and DNA repair happen. These are different numbers, and they tell a different story.

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55Intracellular Markers

WBCWhite Blood Cell Analysis

5Nutrient Categories

5–7Days for Results

The Critical Distinction

Serum is not the same as cellular

The body maintains tight homeostatic control over blood mineral and vitamin concentrations — pulling from intracellular and bone reserves to keep serum levels within normal range. This means serum values can remain "normal" even during significant intracellular depletion.

The intracellular compartment is where nutrients actually function: as enzyme cofactors, electron carriers, structural components of mitochondria, and regulators of gene expression. A functionally depleted cell cannot perform these roles regardless of what the serum shows.

The practical consequence: patients with unresolved fatigue, poor recovery, cognitive difficulties and metabolic dysfunction often have normal serum panels — but significant intracellular deficiencies that CMA reveals. These are not treated by standard supplementation protocols, which are typically based on serum norms.

Global Constraint Rule · Supplementation without data

MediBalans does not sell supplements. We measure first — always. Supplementing without intracellular data risks creating new imbalances: zinc depletes copper, calcium worsens magnesium deficiency, high-dose B6 without measuring existing levels has caused documented neuropathy. CMA makes supplementation precise, targeted and safe.

Test Facts — CMA Panel

What the test covers

MethodIntracellular nutrient assay — white blood cell (lymphocyte) analysis

Markers55 nutrients: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, antioxidants, metabolic cofactors

Sample typeVenous blood draw

Turnaround5–7 business days

LaboratoryCell Science Systems (USA) — MediBalans is official Swedish distributor

Fasting8–10 hours recommended for most accurate intracellular snapshot

InterpretationFull clinical consultation with Dr Mario Anthis

The 55 Markers

Five categories, complete cellular picture

Vitamins · 12 markers

B-Complex & Fat-Soluble

B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenate), B6, B12, folate, biotin — plus vitamins C, D, E and K. B-vitamin intracellular status has direct consequences for mitochondrial function and neurological health.

Minerals & Trace Elements · 10 markers

Magnesium, Zinc & Beyond

Magnesium, zinc, selenium, chromium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, calcium and potassium. Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions — its intracellular deficiency is vastly underdiagnosed by serum testing.

Amino Acids · 9 markers

Cellular Building Blocks

Asparagine, glutamine, serine, and key conditionally essential amino acids. Intracellular amino acid availability determines protein synthesis capacity, neurotransmitter production and immune cell function.

Antioxidants · 7 markers

Oxidative Defence

Alpha-lipoic acid, CoQ10, cysteine, glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. Intracellular antioxidant capacity determines how effectively the cell manages oxidative stress — central to aging, chronic disease and recovery from illness.

Fatty Acids · 5 markers

Membrane Integrity

Oleic acid, EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and total omega-3 index. Cell membrane fatty acid composition governs receptor function, inflammatory signalling and neurological conduction.

Metabolic Cofactors · 12 markers

Functional Metabolism

Carnitine, CoQ10, inositol, PABA, choline and others. These compounds are not always included in standard panels but are clinically critical for mitochondrial function, lipid metabolism and detoxification capacity.

MediBalans Integration

CMA + ALCAT — the complete cellular picture

CMA reveals what is missing inside cells. ALCAT reveals what is causing immune activation. Together they answer the two most fundamental questions in functional medicine: what is depleted, and what is inflaming?

When ALCAT identifies a reactive food and CMA shows concurrent zinc and magnesium depletion, the clinical picture becomes coherent: the reactive food is driving intestinal permeability, impairing mineral absorption, and creating the very deficiencies driving fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. Removing the food while correcting the deficiencies resolves both mechanisms simultaneously.

Important note

CMA can also be combined with NutrEval (Genova Diagnostics' metabolomic panel) for convergent nutritional analysis. CMA shows cellular stores; NutrEval shows metabolic pathway function. When they diverge — normal CMA B12 but elevated methylmalonic acid on NutrEval — a conversion defect is identified, not just a deficiency.

Frequently combined with CMA

ALCAT Comprehensive

Innate immune reactivity to 250+ foods and substances. The most common combination in the MediBalans protocol — addresses both immune burden (ALCAT) and nutritional status (CMA).

Also paired with

NutrEval® Metabolomics

Metabolomic and functional nutrition markers in blood and urine. CMA + NutrEval provides convergent evidence across two different measurement methodologies.

Genetic context

MethylDetox — 38 Genes

Methylation genetics determines how efficiently B-vitamins are converted and utilised. Interpreting CMA B-vitamin findings without methylation genetics is incomplete.

Questions

CMA explained

CMA (Cellular Micronutrient Assay) measures 55 nutrients directly inside living white blood cells — the actual intracellular stores. Standard blood tests measure serum levels: what is circulating in the blood. CMA measures what is actually inside your cells. A patient can have normal serum magnesium, B12 or zinc while being profoundly deficient intracellularly — the form that actually drives metabolic function. This discrepancy explains why many patients with 'normal' blood tests continue to have fatigue, poor recovery and cognitive symptoms.

Serum levels reflect recent intake and homeostatic buffering — not cellular stores. The body tightly regulates blood mineral concentrations by drawing from intracellular and bone reserves. Normal serum values can persist even during significant intracellular depletion. Enzymatic function, mitochondrial respiration, neurotransmitter synthesis and DNA repair all depend on intracellular availability — not serum levels. CMA measures the clinically relevant compartment.

CMA measures vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, vitamins C, D, E, K), minerals and trace elements (magnesium, zinc, selenium, chromium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium), amino acids (asparagine, glutamine, serine and others), fatty acids (oleic acid, EPA, DHA, AA), antioxidants (alpha lipoic acid, CoQ10, cysteine, glutathione), and metabolic markers including carnitine, inositol and PABA.

Nutrients do not operate independently — they compete for absorption, share transport proteins and act as cofactors or inhibitors for each other. Supplementing zinc without knowing copper status can induce copper deficiency. High-dose B6 supplementation without knowing existing intracellular levels has caused peripheral neuropathy. Calcium supplementation in the context of magnesium deficiency worsens the deficiency. CMA provides the data needed to supplement precisely — not blindly.

CMA requires a standard venous blood draw. The sample is processed to isolate white blood cells (lymphocytes), which are then analysed for intracellular nutrient concentrations using validated assay technology. Blood draw can be performed at MediBalans in Stockholm, at a local laboratory near you, or arranged as a home visit. Sample must be shipped within specific temperature and time parameters — MediBalans handles all logistics.

Yes — and combining them provides convergent evidence that neither test offers alone. CMA asks what is inside your cells. NutrEval asks whether your metabolic pathways are functioning adequately. When both are low for a specific nutrient, the clinical picture is unambiguous. When they diverge — for example, CMA shows normal B12 but NutrEval shows elevated methylmalonic acid — a metabolic conversion problem is identified rather than a simple deficiency. Together they are the gold standard nutritional assessment in the MediBalans protocol.

Next Step

Know what's actually inside your cells.

CMA results are reviewed by Dr Mario Anthis and integrated with your complete diagnostic profile — including ALCAT, genetics and metabolomics where relevant.

Book Consultation Also: ALCAT Food Intolerance →

Scientific References

Published evidence behind CMA

The biological rationale for intracellular nutrient measurement — that serum levels reflect circulating transport, not cellular function — is supported by decades of medical literature and large clinical observational studies.

[1]

Houston MC. Observational study of 3,338 patients over 5 years. 671 hypertensive patients received intracellular micronutrient testing and targeted supplementation. After 6 months, 62% reached blood pressure goals and tapered or discontinued antihypertensive medication. Ther Adv Cardiovasc Dis. 2010;4(3):165–83. PMID 20400494 ↗

[2]

Serum vs Intracellular Discrepancy. Medical literature since the 1970s has demonstrated that serum testing misses functional deficiencies and that intracellular nutrient function is more clinically reliable than serum levels for assessing metabolic competence. Multiple sources documented by SpectraCell and reviewed in Blue Cross Blue Shield evidence assessments 2010–2025.

[3]

Zinc/Copper Antagonism. Well-established nutrient interaction: excess zinc supplementation impairs copper absorption via competition for metallothionein binding. Intracellular measurement identifies when zinc correction requires concurrent copper monitoring. Reviewed in: Fosmire GJ. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):225–7.

[4]

B6 Neuropathy & Dose-Dependent Toxicity. Peripheral sensory neuropathy from high-dose pyridoxine (B6) supplementation is documented from as little as 100–500 mg/day in susceptible individuals. Intracellular B6 measurement prevents blind over-supplementation. Schaumburg H et al. N Engl J Med. 1983;309(8):445–8.

Evidence context: CMA is best understood as functionally informative rather than "validated" in the conventional comparative-study sense. No large randomised trials compare intracellular vs serum-guided supplementation outcomes. MediBalans positions CMA as part of a multi-omics protocol — alongside ALCAT, MethylDetox and metabolomics — where its value is the intracellular view of nutrient status that serum panels structurally cannot provide.

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55 markers.Inside your cells.