Do you suspect you have leaky gut but you want to know for sure?  That’s understandable since treating leaky gut can take a lot of effort.  These tests may offer you peace of mind that you are treating your health effectively and efficiently.  Here are four tests you should know about.

Leaky Gut Tests

1. Lactulose or Zonulin Test

• The Lactulose-mannitol intestinal permeability test has been seen as the gold standard for testing intestinal permeability.  It is a urine test, but first you ingest lactulose and mannitol, which are non-metabolized sugars.  Then urine is collected and tested for the presence of these sugar molecules.  Lactulose is the larger molecule, so if it present in the urine, the gut is considered permeable.
• Zonulin test is a blood test to test for the amount of Zonulin in your bloodstream and thus measures our immune response.  Our gut lining is semi-permeable to allow nutrients into our bloodstream.  Zonulin regulates how large or small those openings are between our gut and bloodstream (tight junctions).  The more Zonulin you have, the larger the openings.  If you have too much zonulin in your bloodstream, it is an indicator that you have leaky gut.  It is thought that zonulin levels rise due to triggers such as gluten, candida, harmful bacteria and parasites.  An Elisa Kit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELISA can be used for this test.  Also, see Cyrex labs for further test information on the “Intestinal Antigenic Permeability Screen at https://www.cyrexlabs.com/CyrexTestsArrays.

2.  Food Intolerance Test

• IgG (Immunoglobulin G) Food Allergy test.  If you have leaky gut, than larger particles are able pass the gut barrier into the bloodstream, leading to an immune reaction.  Your body reacts by producing antibodies to these particles that aren’t supposed to be there.  This inflammatory response may be more severe, likely triggered by foods such as gluten and dairy, or low grade, sustained inflammation from unsuspected foods.  Either way, this inflammatory process causes damage over time and knowing which foods you are reacting to is helpful in the healing process and prevent from leaky gut getting worse. For testing, check out The Great Plains Laboratory offering world wide service https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/igg-food-allergy-test/.

3.  Stool Test

• A Comprehensive Stool Analysis is a helpful tool that can identify specific bacteria and yeasts, inflammation markers, immune function, probiotic levels, parasites or pathogenic organisms.  Understanding this detail can be priceless when trying to understand culprits for leaky gut and how to move forward with treating intestinal health.  You might be surprised at how many of us with chronic conditions having underlying parasite issues we would otherwise be unaware of.  The test can be done through The Great Plains Laboratory https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/igg-food-allergy-test/.

4.  Organic Acid Test

• The Organic Acid test tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which are common with leaky gut.  The gut lining is compromised and the microvilli are not able to absorb vitamins and nutrients the way they are designed to, leading to detoxification pathways being compromised and disruption in our immune function.  The test works by identifying byproducts that occur in the body when a deficiency exists.  It is a simple urine test that can be done at home.  For details on test kits, go to http://www.holistichelp.net/organic-acids-test.html.