A Deeper Clinical Test
Organic Acids Testing. What's Actually Happening Inside Your Cells.
Most blood tests show you a snapshot. Organic acids testing shows you the metabolic story — how your body is producing energy, clearing toxins, synthesising neurotransmitters, and responding to its environment, right now.
120+
Biomarkers Measured
At home urine sample collection
What is organic acids testing
A Functional Window Into Your Biochemistry
Organic acids are small carbon-based molecules produced as by-products of everyday metabolic processes. They accumulate in urine in patterns that reflect exactly what is — and isn't — working in your body's biochemical pathways. Unlike standard blood panels, which measure nutrient levels directly, organic acids testing measures the functional output of those pathways. You might have adequate B12 in your blood but still be unable to convert it into active metabolic function. Organic acids testing catches that gap. The result is a picture of metabolic health that is uniquely deep — covering energy production, gut microbial balance, detoxification capacity, neurotransmitter synthesis, and nutritional status, all from a single urine sample.Who It's Most Useful For
Organic acids testing is particularly valuable for people experiencing fatigue, brain fog, sleep disruption, digestive symptoms, mood changes, or difficulty recovering from exercise — symptoms that often escape standard workup. It is also used proactively by people who want a comprehensive functional baseline, or who are optimising performance and want to understand their metabolic picture in detail. At Drips, OAT is interpreted alongside your broader biomarker profile and discussed with our consulting doctor during your Longevity Club consultation.
What gets measured
Eleven Metabolic Domains. One Test.
01
Microbial Overgrowth
Markers of bacterial dysbiosis and pathogenic overgrowth in the gut, including phenolic and aromatic compounds from microbial fermentation.
02
Yeast & Fungal Metabolites
Candida-associated markers including arabinitol, tartaric acid, and tricarballylic acid, which can interfere with mitochondrial function and nutrient absorption.
03
Mitochondrial & Energy Metabolism
Functional integrity of the citric acid cycle, revealing how efficiently your cells are generating ATP and where energy production may be stalling.
04
Fatty Acid Oxidation & Ketone Metabolism
Efficiency of mitochondrial beta-oxidation and the omega-oxidation pathway, providing insight into carnitine sufficiency and metabolic flexibility.
05
Amino Acid & Branched-Chain Metabolism
Catabolism of essential and branched-chain amino acids, identifying impairments that may contribute to fatigue, mood dysregulation, or neurological symptoms.
06
Neurotransmitter Metabolism
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin metabolites, plus the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway — offering functional insight into mood, cognition, and sleep regulation.
07
Vitamins & Nutritional Cofactors
Functional assessment of B-vitamin status (B1 through B12), glutathione and antioxidant capacity, and key enzymatic cofactors — not just serum levels, but actual pathway activity.
08
Detoxification & Glutathione Function
Phase I and Phase II hepatic detoxification markers, glutathione cycling, and NAC status — reflecting your body's capacity to manage oxidative burden and chemical exposure.
09
Oxidative Stress & Inflammation
DNA oxidative damage markers and inflammatory mediators, providing a functional picture of systemic oxidative load and chronic inflammatory activity.
10
Oxalate Metabolism
Markers of excess oxalate production or absorption, which may be associated with gut dysbiosis, dietary factors, or impaired detoxification pathways.
11
Environmental & Xenobiotic Exposures
Urinary metabolites of common environmental chemicals — xylene, benzene, toluene, phthalates, parabens, BPA, BPS — providing objective evidence of toxic load.
Every domain is reviewed in context. Patterns across the full picture matter as much as any individual marker.
How the pathways connect
Your Symptoms Live at the Intersections
OAT findings rarely point to a single deficiency. Fatigue might show up simultaneously as impaired mitochondrial function, low carnitine activity, gut dysbiosis disrupting B-vitamin absorption, and elevated inflammatory markers. The value of OAT is pattern recognition across all domains at once.
Example — Tryptophan Metabolism Pathway
How One Substrate Spans Multiple Domains
When inflammation is high, tryptophan is shunted away from serotonin and toward quinolinic acid — a neuroexcitatory metabolite associated with fatigue, poor sleep, mood changes, and cognitive symptoms. A standard blood panel would not show this.
Input
Dietary Tryptophan
Inhibitory Pathway
Serotonin → Melatonin
Inflammatory Pathway
Kynurenine → Quinolinic Acid
Driver
IDO Activation by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines
Clinical value
What a Result Can Actually Tell You
Results are interpreted by our consulting doctors alongside your symptoms, history, and other biomarker data — never in isolation.Why You're Fatigued When Your Bloods Look Normal
Elevated succinic acid and adipic acid can indicate mitochondrial inefficiency or impaired beta-oxidation even when standard haematology is unremarkable.The Gut-Brain Connection in Your Specific Case
Dysbiosis markers alongside elevated quinolinic acid can indicate a gut-to-neuroinflammation pathway driving brain fog or mood changes.Functional B-Vitamin Status — Not Just Serum Levels
Elevated kynurenic acid can signal functional B6 insufficiency at the pathway level, even when serum B6 appears adequate.Your Detoxification Capacity Under Load
Elevated pyroglutamic acid may reflect increased glutathione demand that is unmet — relevant for anyone carrying high chemical, oxidative, or inflammatory burden.Stress Physiology at the Cellular Level
Elevated catecholamine markers alongside 2-hydroxybutyric acid reflect a biochemical signature of chronic stress that often precedes measurable cortisol dysregulation.Environmental Exposures You May Not Be Aware Of
Xenobiotic markers quantify actual excretion of phthalates, toluene, benzene metabolites, and BPA — allowing informed decisions about exposure reduction.
At Drips
How the Process Works
01
Collection at Home
A spot urine collection kit is provided. The sample is collected at home and couriered to our NATA-accredited laboratory partner for analysis via LC-MS/MS and GC-MS.
02
Laboratory Analysis
Over 120 organic acid markers are quantified across eleven metabolic domains. Results are typically returned within 7–10 business days.
03
Doctor Interpretation
Your results are reviewed by our consulting doctor within the context of your full clinical picture. A personalised nutrition and intervention guide is generated alongside the raw data.
04
Follow-Up Consultation
Your Longevity Club consultation covers what the findings mean for you specifically — priorities, interventions, and how OAT integrates with your other Drips biomarker data.
Ready to go deeper
Organic Acids Testing Is Included in the Foundation Plan
The Foundation Plan is Drips' entry point — advanced testing, doctor consultation, and nurse support, delivered to you at home.
This page is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Organic acids testing at Drips is ordered and interpreted by our consulting doctors as part of a clinical service. Results are discussed in the context of your individual health history. Drips operates in accordance with NZ health advertising regulations.
