In May I did a functional medicine test called a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA), which combines a large number of tests to evaluate the function of my gut. I have a long history of food intolerances, gut infections and adrenal depletion so I wanted to check how I was going.

Not surprisingly the CDSA showed a number of problems:

  1. My levels of transglutaminase IgA were off the charts at 904ug/g when ideally they are below 100. Transglutaminase IgA shows that my immune system is going crazy to the presence of gluten. And I mean ridiculously crazy, I have never seen a result that high in a patient after 15 years of clinical practice.
  2. My levels of M2 pyruvate kinase were elevated at 6.7U/ml, which is a little freaky as this is a tumor marker. Maybe as a result of gluten causing so much inflammation in my gut, this tumor marker is being expressed……
  3. A lack of Lactobacilli bacteria – the most beneficial type of bacteria is actually low, despite taking a Lactobacillus containing probiotic daily!
  4. An overgrowth of Citrobacter bacteria – this is an opportunistic bacteria which shows I have gut dysbiosis. This bad boy is taking over my gut due to the lack of Lactobacillus.

I also did a test assessing my levels of zonulin. I have written about this gut compound before, you can read more about it here and here. Not long ago I had the pleasure of meeting the researcher who discovered it. Zonulin opens up the spaces between gut cells, and an overproduction leads to leaky gut.

Dr Alessio Fasano’s research clearly shows that gluten increases zonulin levels, which causes leaky gut and opens up the possibility of autoimmune disease and cancer.

And guess what? My zonulin levels came back at 66ng/mL and the upper limit is 48ng/mL so yes, I have some serious gut problems!

That is why I am having an endoscopy and colonoscopy this week, to rule out anything sinister and get a baseline on the structure of my gut. I have been gluten loading for the last week and my gut aches terribly. As part of the preparation for a colonoscopy, you have to take industrial strength laxatives and not eat for 24 hours. Which will have a detrimental impact on my gut flora.

I have put together a plan to re-innoculate my gut flora. This involves targeting 4 different angles which I will outline for you.

Top 4 Foods for Restoring Your Gut Microbiome:

  1. Fermented foods – Common examples of fermented foods include kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, coconut yoghurt, miso
  2. Prebiotics – Prebiotics are nondigestible foods that stimulate the growth and activity of bacteria in the gut such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Examples include Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, dandelion roots, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes
  3. Resistant starch feeds and fuels other beneficial bacteria – legumes (red lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans), bananas (less ripe the better), uncooked oats, potatoes (cooked then cooled), cashew nuts
  4. Probiotics – I will be dialling up the supplements on this front and using three different high strength combinations.

Let’s hope that I get some answers with the upcoming procedures and am able to put a treatment protocol together to fix it.

If you are interested in having your zonulin tested or doing the comprehensive digestive test, simply let me know. I can send you a referral and do a follow up consultation to go through your results. Just contact me  to get started!