Are you fatigued and having constipation, diarrhea or abdominal pain? They are linked! Having a microbiome that is overgrown with bad bacteria, or poor absorption or one that can’t detox well will drain your energy and eat up the micronutrients (think vitamins and minerals) that fuel your energy pathways. Here are some warning signs on labs that could indicate your gut is draining your energy levels:
- Low ferritin levels- this is your storage form of iron and adequate levels are needed to fuel thyroid and detox pathways.
- Vitamin D deficiency- when our vitamin d levels are low this could indicate that we aren’t absorbing fats. Often when we have poor fat absorption our gut microbiome is disrupted.
- Low vitamin b12 levels- vitamin b12 requires intrinsic factor from the stomach, and a properly functioning small intestine to be well absorbed. If you have low b12 check your gut function!
- Low triglycerides- you might be saying-”What, I thought my triglyceride levels were supposed to be low?”….well yes they are, but to a certain degree. Levels below 50, when not on a triglyceride lowering medication, could indicate malabsorption of fats and potentially dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria), or even SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
If any of these levels have been low and you have fatigue and gut symptoms, it’s a good time to check your microbiome. In our functional medicine practice we utilize microbiome tests like GI Map and GI Effects to assess our patients good to bad bacteria levels, check for pathogenic, or disease causing, bacteria, parasites, worms and viruses, check digestive enzyme levels and detoxification function, as well as monitor for inflammation. We can then take that information and form an individualized plan to help heal leaky gut, dysbiosis, inflammation, kill off the bad pathogens….and most importantly, help you get your energy back!
Check out this video to learn more about IBS symptoms and fatigue: