What Does a GI-MAP Stool Test Show?

by | May 25, 2023 | Blogs

Understanding the importance of gut health is key to having good overall health. Everything begins in your gut and spreads to the other systems within your body, such as digestive, immune, metabolic, and neuroendocrine functions. It’s our primary source of serotonin production and where our immune system resides, and a GI MAP Stool test is a great tool to help determine the amounts of different bacteria that live in your gut. 

What is a GI-MAP Stool Test?

The Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus (GI-MAP) uses your stool to measure the amounts of good and bad bacteria in your gut. It can also analyze the quantities of other organisms that can be found in your gut, as well as test different proteins that are linked to your immune and digestive health. Using your stool, the test examines the DNA using quantitative PCR (which amplifies or repeats specific DNA sections in real-time to see their origin). Which helps pinpoint and diagnose sneaky causes of gastrointestinal problems, such as H. Pylori parasites. 

GI-MAP testing can also measure some non-microbial factors by measuring the levels of specific digestive proteins and immune system function. Having too much or too little of these proteins can signal abnormalities within your gut, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS) and Leaky Gut Syndrome. 

How Accurate is a GI-MAP Stool Test? 

This test is a great way for a physician to spot problems within a patient’s gut flora and address gut dysfunction. It can help medical professionals diagnose autoimmune diseases and determine what treatment plans would be most effective to address gut malfunction. Using this specific type of gPCR technology is the most in-depth way to find issues within one’s gut health, as gPCR offers much more accurate results than regular PCR since it records the results of the test in real-time and has a high level of sensitivity, so minor abnormalities are more easily detected. 

GI-MAP testing is FDA-approved, and Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory performs rigorous quality control to ensure consistent, reproducible results. This test by Diagnosis Solutions offers the most detailed and accurate results out there for gut health. The technology even offers the ability to see how treatments are working since retests can show the progress of personalized treatment plans. 

Everything within our bodies lives in balance, as we have good and bad types of bacteria that coexist. It’s possible to have too many good bacteria and not enough bad bacteria to balance out the two. Some chronic symptoms of this type of imbalance include fatigue, rashes, joint pain, constipation, and others. 

woman holding her stomach in pain

What Does a GI-MAP Stool Test for? 

GI-MAP Stool Testing is a comprehensive way to get an in-depth look at your gut microbiome and produces accurate, quantitative results. So, what does a GI-MAP Stool Test show exactly? Some of the things GI MAP tests reveal are the presence and amount of:

  • Pathogens
  • H. Pylori
  • Fungi/Yeast
  • Typical Bacteria 
  • Viruses
  • Parasites
  • Antibiotic-Resistant Genes
  • SIBO Patterns
  • Intestinal Health Markers

Who Should Have a GI-MAP Stool Test Done?

Finding out in-depth knowledge about your gut health is invaluable knowledge, especially for anyone experiencing digestive problems or struggling to find a diagnosis for symptoms related to autoimmune diseases. GI-MAP Stool Testing helps practitioners and patients determine how to treat and diagnose specific illnesses based on their test results. Our gut can tell us a lot about our overall health, leading to a better understanding of how to achieve better wellness. 

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should consider getting a GI-MAP Stool Test performed: 

  • Acid Reflux
  • Allergies
  • Autoimmune Diseases
  • Brain fog
  • Celiac Disease
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Diarrhea/Constipation
  • Gastritis 
  • Acne/Psoriasis
  • Mood Disorders
  • Depression/Anxiety 
  • Diabetes 

woman with stomach pain

GI-MAP Stool Test Through OnPoint Labs

A GI-MAP Stool Test is the first step to healing your gut, which then carries over to healing and improving the overall health of your body. Your physician can help you determine the clinical significance of your results and provide you with functional medicine to see these types of improvements (depending on your results):

  • Balanced Hormones
  • Lower Risk of Disease
  • Reduced Inflammation
  • Improved Cognitive Function
  • More Energy
  • Reduced Depression/Anxiety
  • Stronger Immune System

At OnPoint Labs, our comprehensive stool testing can help lower your cost of care and lead to a quicker diagnosis for patients in the Greater Houston area. If your physician has expressed that you or a loved one could benefit from GI-MAP Stool Testing in order to help find a diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment, OnPoint Labs team of experts can deliver quick test results so you can get the answers you need, quickly. Visit our website to learn more information about how to schedule your appointment today.

OnPoint Lab

OnPoint Lab

Author

OnPoint was started by a group of professionals that include physicians, scientists, and healthcare management professionals. In addition, our partnership includes a pathologist who is a well-known professor at a prominent medical school in New York. We have physicians who are leaders in their communities and are a great resource for our lab. We strive to be your solution for all lab testing needs. We provide accurate and timely results for hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, home health services, and hospitalists across the southern region of the United States.