Gut flora & Gluten package
Original price was: € 203,00.€ 180,00Current price is: € 180,00.
This package examines the gut flora in combination with markers for gluten sensitivity. The intestine contains bacteria that together weigh approximately one and a half kilograms. Specific methods are used to examine the numbers of different bacterial groups. A decrease in bacterial numbers can cause symptoms and reduced resistance.
Gluten consists of proteins found in grains such as wheat, rye and spelt. Gluten intolerance is called celiac disease, but it is actually a lifelong inflammatory disease that develops in response to gluten. The stool is tested for antibodies against anti-gliadin and anti-ht-transglutaminase, and an increase in these antibodies indicates that the body reacts negatively to gluten. Please note: high values do not prove gluten intolerance (celiac disease), but they do indicate an increased likelihood of this disease.
The GUT FLORA & GLUTEN package consists of the modules:
- Digestion
- Gut flora panel 1
- Candida
- Secretory IgA
- Anti-ht-Transglutaminase
- Anti-Gliadin sIgA
Original price was: € 203,00.€ 180,00Current price is: € 180,00.
Description
Gut flora & Gluten – gut flora testing with gluten markers
Do you regularly have abdominal complaints and notice that bread, pasta, or other grain products do not always agree with you? The Gut flora & Gluten package combines testing of several aspects of intestinal health.
We examine digestion, selected intestinal bacteria, yeasts and fungi, the immune defense of the intestinal mucosa, and two gluten markers. Total secretory IgA (sIgA) helps interpret the gluten markers in context. This test does not diagnose celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
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When is this test suitable?
For people with recurrent intestinal complaints who want several aspects of the intestinal environment investigated.
- You regularly experience abdominal pain, bloating, or flatulence.
- You have changing, loose, mushy, or difficult bowel movements.
- You notice that symptoms increase after eating bread, pasta, or other grain products.
- You want to know whether, in addition to a possible reaction to gluten, there are abnormalities in the gut flora or digestion.
- Your symptoms started or changed after a course of antibiotics.
- You regularly experience yeasts or fungal infections.
- You want more comprehensive stool testing than gluten markers alone.
Important: these symptoms can have many different causes. The test therefore does not provide a diagnosis, but it can provide indications that help assess the overall picture.
What do we test?
The package combines digestive values, selected intestinal bacteria, yeasts, and immune and gluten markers.
Digestive parameters
Fat, pH, starch, plant fibers, stool color, and consistency.
Gut flora
Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.
Yeasts and fungi
Testing for culturable yeasts and fungi, including Candidaspecies.
Total sIgA
The amount of secretory IgA in stool, as part of the local immune defense and for interpretation of the gluten markers.
Anti-gliadin sIgA
Antibodies against gliadin, a component of gluten.
Anti-tTG
Antibodies against tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme naturally present in the body. This marker is tested in stool.
The different values are assessed together. Especially for the two gluten markers, the level of total sIgA is important for interpretation.
What can the results tell you?
The result shows how the tested aspects of digestion, gut flora, and local immune defense relate to each other.
The test places different aspects of the intestinal environment side by side. You receive information about digestion, the intestinal bacteria tested, the presence of yeasts and fungi, and the amount of sIgA in the intestine. It also tests whether antibodies against gliadin and tissue transglutaminase are elevated.
With the gluten markers in particular, it is important not to look at a single number. Anti-gliadin and anti-tTG values must be assessed, among other things, in relation to total sIgA.
An elevated gluten marker does not automatically mean that you have celiac disease. The result should be considered together with your symptoms, diet, and, if necessary, standard medical testing.
Take care when total sIgA is very low. When only small amounts of these antibodies are present in the intestine, anti-gliadin and anti-tTG can also be low. Values within the reference ranges then do not necessarily rule out a gluten-related reaction. The combination of values also does not provide a diagnosis on its own.
Explanation of the values tested
What the different measurements describe and why they are assessed together.
Digestive parameters
We assess, among other things, acidity, fat content, and residues of starch and plant fibers in stool. Abnormalities may indicate that nutrients are digested less effectively or that the intestinal environment has changed.
The result does not automatically point to one cause; the values should be assessed together with your symptoms.
Gut flora
The intestine contains large numbers of bacteria involved, among other things, in processing food and interacting with the immune system. This package examines several groups, including E. coli, lactobacilli, enterococci, and bifidobacteria.
The counts are compared with the reference values used. This is not a complete analysis of all intestinal bacteria.
Yeasts and fungi
Yeasts, including Candidaspecies, can occur naturally in the intestine. We examine the quantity of yeasts and fungi that can be cultured under the laboratory conditions used.
An elevated amount can provide additional information, but does not prove that a yeast is causing your symptoms.
Secretory IgA (sIgA)
Secretory IgA is an antibody found on mucous membranes, including the intestinal mucosa. It forms part of the local immune defense. An elevated or reduced value may indicate different immune activity than expected.
Total sIgA also helps place the two gluten markers in the correct context.
Anti-gliadin sIgA
Gliadin is a component of gluten. The test examines sIgA antibodies against gliadin in stool. An elevated value may indicate a reaction to gluten, but does not show which gluten-related condition a person has.
A value within the reference range also does not rule out symptoms after gluten, especially when total sIgA is low.
Anti-tTG
Tissue transglutaminase is an enzyme naturally present in the body. Antibodies against it play a role in standard testing for celiac disease. In this package, the marker is tested in stool.
An abnormal value may be a reason to investigate further, but is not a diagnosis of celiac disease. Standard medical testing through your treating physician is appropriate for that.
Why is total sIgA so important for the gluten markers?
Anti-gliadin sIgA and anti-tTG are not assessed separately from total sIgA. When someone produces very little sIgA overall, the specific antibody values can also remain low.
- Normal total sIgA + low gluten markers: the low gluten markers are generally easier to interpret.
- Very low total sIgA + low gluten markers: the low gluten markers provide less certainty.
A result in which all three values are low therefore does not automatically mean that there is no reaction to gluten. The relationship between the values is important.
Gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, or wheat allergy?
The terms are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings.
- Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which gluten triggers an immune response that can damage the small intestine. Standard medical diagnostic testing is available for this.
- Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to components of wheat. This involves a different immune mechanism from celiac disease.
- Gluten sensitivity or gluten-related hypersensitivity is used for symptoms after gluten-containing products when celiac disease and wheat allergy have not been demonstrated. Other components of grain products may also play a role.
We therefore prefer to use the neutral term reaction to gluten when the exact cause is not yet known. The two gluten markers in stool do not distinguish between these conditions on their own.
Why combine gut flora and gluten markers?
Abdominal complaints after grain products do not necessarily have to be caused by gluten alone.
Digestion, the composition of the gut flora, and immune defense at the intestinal mucosa can also provide relevant information. This package tests these aspects at the same time.
This gives you a broader picture than measuring anti-gliadin and anti-tTG alone. Total sIgA is especially important because it helps place the gluten markers in the correct context.
How does the test work?
From collecting the sample at home to the report with the different laboratory values.
- You order the Gut flora & Gluten package and receive the required collection materials with instructions.
- You collect a stool sample at home according to the enclosed instructions.
- You send the material to the laboratory according to the instructions.
- The laboratory examines the digestive parameters, gut flora, yeasts and fungi, total sIgA, and the gluten markers.
- You receive a report with the measured values and the corresponding assessment.
Results and next steps
Assess the results together and discuss targeted follow-up testing if necessary.
The report places the different parts of the test side by side. It is important not to assess one abnormal value in isolation, but to look at the pattern of results and your symptoms. For the gluten markers, for example, anti-gliadin and anti-tTG should be interpreted together with total sIgA.
Do you have symptoms strongly suggestive of celiac disease or does celiac disease run in your family? Discuss with your treating physician whether standard testing for celiac disease is needed.
Do not start a gluten-free diet on your own before any celiac disease testing has been completed. Avoiding gluten can affect the results of standard medical testing. Discuss this with your treating physician.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to questions about gluten markers, total sIgA, and the combined gut flora test.
No. The package tests, among other things, two antibodies associated with a possible reaction to gluten, but the stool test cannot confirm or rule out celiac disease. If celiac disease is medically suspected, standard testing through a doctor is required.
This test combines the gluten markers with total sIgA, digestion, gut flora, and yeasts and fungi. This provides more information about the intestinal environment. Total sIgA in particular helps interpret low anti-gliadin and anti-tTG values more effectively.
Not automatically. When total sIgA is sufficient, low values of the specific markers are easier to interpret. If total sIgA is very low, however, the specific antibodies can also remain low. An apparently normal result is then less informative. There are also different causes of symptoms after grain products, not all of which can be detected by this test.
No. An elevated marker is not proof of celiac disease and is not an independent diagnosis of gluten sensitivity. The result should be assessed together with your symptoms, total sIgA, and, if necessary, other medical testing.
If you suspect that you have celiac disease and still want to undergo standard medical testing for it, it is important not to start eating gluten-free without consultation. A gluten-free diet can affect diagnostic testing for celiac disease. If you have already started eating gluten-free, discuss with your treating physician what is advisable in your situation.
No. The laboratory measures a selected number of bacterial groups, supplemented by testing for yeasts and fungi. It is not a complete inventory of all bacteria and other microorganisms in the intestine.
Questions about this test?
Help choosing between individual gluten markers and the combined Gut flora & Gluten package.
Are you unsure whether to choose only the gluten markers or the more comprehensive Gut flora & Gluten package? Contact Darmklachten.nl. We are happy to help determine which test best matches your question.
Order the Gut flora & Gluten package
Assess digestion, gut flora, yeasts, total sIgA, and gluten markers together.
Would you like gut flora and gluten markers assessed together?
The Gut flora & Gluten package combines digestion, selected intestinal bacteria, yeasts and fungi, total sIgA, and two gluten markers in one stool test.
You can order the Gut flora & Gluten package at the top of this page.
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