Trace Elements
The trace elements panel reports population percentiles for serum zinc, serum copper, and serum selenium. These analytes come from the NHANES 2015-2016 serum copper, selenium, and zinc file, measured in a one-third subsample with the WTSA2YR subsample weight. Reference values describe where a measurement sits in the US adult distribution; clinical reference intervals answer a different question.
Also listed under Nutrition .
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do trace elements use NHANES 2015-2016?
Serum zinc, copper, and selenium were not published in the NHANES 2017-2018 or 2017-March 2020 public lab files. LabNorms uses the 2015-2016 serum trace-elements file for all three.
Why are trace-element sample sizes smaller than many other panels?
NHANES measured these analytes in a one-third subsample. LabNorms uses the required WTSA2YR subsample weight and reports the unweighted n on every slice page.