Published on 21 November 2024
With the rise of at-home testing kits, hundreds of supplements, drinks and food products available to buy over the counter – there are many ways you can improve overall health of your gut. But how do you know how healthy your gut is?
Our expert gastroenterology, nutritional therapy and JAG-accredited endoscopy services offer a range of tests to assess your gut health.
Signs it’s time to assess your gut health
Understanding gut health is crucial for overall well-being, as it affects digestion, immunity, and even your mental health. Changes to your gut microbiome (the bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live inside us), can be caused by a variety of factors such as stress, poor diet and lack of sleep/physical activity.
Look out for any of these signs of gut disturbances:
- Gas and bloating
- Constipation and/or diarrhoea
- Heartburn
- Mood changes such as low mood or anxiety
- Frequently getting ill, lowered immunity
Watch our videos on gut health
At Benenden Hospital, we offer treatment for a wide range of gut health conditions.
1. Keep a food diary
To begin your journey to better gut health, our BANT-registered Nutritional Therapist, Mrs Abir Hamza-Goodacre, recommends you keep a detailed food diary with symptoms prior to your initial nutritional therapy or GP appointment. “This will help us to identify any dietary patterns that may impact your gut health,” says Abir.
“Tracking your food intake alongside symptoms such as bloating, gas, or irregular bowel movements can reveal potential triggers or intolerances which we can use to map out your personalised nutritional programme.” Consuming lots of ultra-processed foods can increase harmful ‘bad’ bacteria from flourishing in your gut, so it’s important to reflect on this too.
2. Stool analysis
If your healthcare professional is worried about a risk of polyps (a growth on or in an organ in your body) or bowel cancer, you may have Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT). If blood is found in your stool through these tests, this could be a marker of polyps and bowel cancer and hence a colonoscopy may be offered.
Altered gut function can be caused by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. A stool test for inflammation (a faecal calprotectin) can be undertaken to assess for this and to guide if other more invasive investigations would be helpful such as a colonoscopy.
A change in bowel habit can sometimes represent problems with the absorption of nutrients in your food. If the pancreas is not working well then this can cause altered gut function amongst other things and a stool test (faecal elastase) can be done as part of a wider assessment of other variables to assess for pancreatic dysfunction.
3. Breath tests
A hydrogen breath test is a simple way of determining whether you might have lactose and fructose intolerance or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Our Gastroenterologists will provide you with the simple, non-invasive breath test kit for you to complete it at home.
Breath testing is done to detect levels of hydrogen and methane through our gastroenterology service. Once completed, we’ll advise your clinician of the results and they’ll discuss a personalised treatment plan with you, or you can refer yourself to our nutrition services.
4. Blood tests
Another effective way to assess your gut health is by having a blood test to check for levels of specific substances in your blood. Therefore, the results of a blood test can support a diagnosis for coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases (such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) stomach ulcers or cancer and food allergies.
Blood tests can highlight markers of nutrition, such as vitamin and iron levels. All of these markers will allow our expert Consultants to assess your digestive function.
If you think your gut health symptoms are being caused by an immune reaction to gluten or an intolerance to wheat, blood tests will help determine whether you may have coeliac disease.
5. Endoscopic procedures
Our purpose-built, JAG-accredited endoscopy suite, located in our Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU), offers a wide range of camera-led procedures including:
These procedures allow direct visuals of your gastrointestinal tract. These diagnostic procedures can confirm or rule out symptoms such as ulcers, polyps, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). They also provide insights into your gut health.
Want an assessment of your gut?
To access our Hydrogen Breath Test, as well as blood and stool testing, simply book an initial gastroenterology consultation through our online booking tool. You can also schedule one of our nutritional therapy packages or choose a standalone appointment if preferred.
If you'd like to discuss your needs, our Private Patient team is on hand to help. Contact us using our online enquiry form, via LiveChat or on 01580 363158.