Bone health lab tests

Your body is always breaking down old bone and building new bone. CTx is a scrap of bone protein released during breakdown, so it can show how quickly bone is being cleared away.

Parathyroid hormone comes from tiny glands in your neck and keeps your blood calcium steady, partly by drawing calcium out of your bones. It’s best read together with a calcium result.

When your body builds new bone, it releases a small protein called P1NP. Measuring it can show how actively new bone is being made.

Vitamin K helps your blood clot and plays a part in keeping bones strong. You get it mainly from leafy green vegetables, and your gut bacteria make some too.