Testing your Gut Microbiome
Testing your gut microbiome with the GI-MAP test is the foremost test for assessing the health of your gut microbiome. Why should you care? Because your health starts in your gut! Your daily wellbeing, as well as the extent of acute and chronic diseases, are inevitably effected by the gut microbiome (and sometimes your microbiome is the direct cause of your illness, especially when unwanted gastrointestinal symptoms are present).
The GI Map test is a comprehensive stool test that my clients collect in the comfort of their home and send to the lab directly via a pre-paid mailer that ships with the test.
The test analyzes the presence of pathogenic bacteria and their toxins, as well as viruses, parasites, and yeasts and fungi like candida. But this test also looks at your good gut bacteria as well as things that are overgrowing and should not be (opportunistic overgrowth)
In addition, this test assesses the function of the gallbladder (and when there is no gallbladder present we can still see the efficiency of bile for fat absorption), the output of the pancreas, It uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology to identify and quantify these organisms, providing valuable insights into gut health and potential dysbiosis.
Some of the key findings of this test include:
PATHOGENS
The GI-MAP includes pathogens (bacterial, parasitic, and viral) commonly known to cause intestinal gastroenteritis.
H. PYLORI
Recent studies have shown that nearly 50% of the world’s population is infected with H. pylori. And, although many carriers are asymptomatic, H. pylori is known to have a causative role in ulcers, chronic gastritis, and stomach cancer.
Additionally, in early phases of colonization, patients may experience hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) which leads to heartburn and reflux and eventually hiatal hernia.
COMMENSAL/KEYSTONE BACTERIA
Trillions of microorganisms inhabit the human intestine to make up a complex ecosystem that plays an important role in human health. Commensal bacteria extract nutrients and energy from our diets, maintain gut barrier function, produce vitamins (biotin and vitamin K), and protect against colonization by potential pathogens.
OPPORTUNISTIC/OVERGROWTH MICROBES
Many bacteria measured on the GI-MAP are considered opportunistic pathogens, as they only cause disease and illness in some individuals, especially when their population grows to high numbers, causing gas and bloating or gastroenteritis and inflammation. Symptoms may include diarrhea, loose stools, abdominal pain, or even constipation.
Overgrowth and excessive colonization by opportunistic bacteria may occur by poor diet, antibiotic use, parasitic infection, or a weakened immune system.
FUNGI/YEAST
Fungal organisms are commonly found in the human digestive tract, and fungal overgrowth can cause illness in susceptible individuals. Fungal growth like Candida can cause many symptoms on its own, or make other symptoms worse, both in the intestines and in other parts of the body.
PARASITES
A parasite is an organism that lives and feeds on a host organism at the expense of the host. The GI-MAP tests for pathogenic parasites and protozoa most commonly occurring in the GI tract.
INTESTINAL HEALTH MARKERS
Beyond the microbial communities of the GI tract, the GI-MAP looks at the foundational health of the GI, including immune function, inflammation, digestion, gliadin (gluten) reactivity, intestinal permeability, and metabolic activity of the gastrointestinal biome. My lab uses clinically validated ELISA assays to accurately quantify these markers in human stool samples: pancreatic elastase-1, secretory IgA (sIgA), anti-gliadin sIgA, eosinophil activation protein (EDN), calprotectin, and zonulin (special order when leaky gut is suspected)
H. PYLORI ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENES
The GI-MAP includes results for detection of H. pylori antibiotic resistance genes in the microbiome. Although I offer natural treatments that are just as effective for treating H pylori as antibiotics are, some clients do want antibiotics for their treatment, and if so, this test supplies information regarding antibiotic resistance and if that is present against the antibiotics used to treat H pylori. Additionally, the antibiotic resistance genes reported in this test apply to all of the microorganisms found in the fecal sample. Since microbes can rapidly share DNA under stress, the presence of antibiotic resistance in any organism is reason enough to avoid that drug class.
In summary, the GI Map test can be the most effective tool to target the treatment of any gastrointestinal symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, IBS-D, IBS-C) as well as chronic diseases and what can exacerbate their progression as the health of the gut is truly at the core of everyone’s health.