• Digestive discomfort: Bloating, cramping, abdominal pain or general digestive unease.
• Gut condition concerns: Conditions such as IBS, suspected dysbiosis or functional gut disturbance where detailed stool analysis is helpful.
• Irregular bowel habits: Constipation, loose stools, urgency or fluctuating stool patterns.
• Signs of malabsorption: Undigested food in stool, oily stools or unexplained changes in stool appearance.
• Gas and bloating: Excessive gas, distension or discomfort after meals.
• Food-related symptoms: Nausea, fullness, or discomfort after certain foods.
• Inflammation-type symptoms: Abdominal tenderness, general gut sensitivity or recurring digestive flare-ups.
• Low energy or fatigue: Tiredness potentially linked with digestive imbalance.
• Skin concerns: Rashes, irritation or breakouts that may appear alongside digestive symptoms.
• Mood or cognitive changes: Brain fog, irritability or low mood that may coincide with digestive disturbances.
• Post-antibiotic changes: Altered stool patterns or discomfort following recent antibiotic use.
• General gut imbalance: Ongoing, unexplained symptoms affecting digestion, comfort or stool regularity.

The GI Effects Comprehensive Profile provides an in-depth assessment of gastrointestinal function by analysing a wide range of stool biomarkers. The test evaluates digestion and absorption markers, inflammation-related indicators, microbiome composition, commensal balance, microbial metabolites and parasitology findings. It incorporates functional imbalance scores that reflect patterns across maldigestion, dysbiosis, inflammation, metabolic activity and potential infection-related signals, alongside PCR-based analysis of key bacterial phyla.

The profile may be clinically useful when exploring symptoms such as digestive discomfort, stool irregularities, gas, food-related symptoms or low energy. By reviewing enzyme function, short-chain fatty acids, beta-glucuronidase, inflammatory proteins, microbial diversity and the presence of yeast, parasites or disruptive microbial groups, the test helps illustrate how different aspects of gastrointestinal function may be contributing to presenting symptoms. Additional markers, such as commensal balance metrics and methane-associated patterns, provide further context on microbial stability and fermentation dynamics.

The GI Effects Comprehensive Profile offers a detailed overview of gastrointestinal health using a combination of culture, PCR, microscopy and biochemical assays. The breadth of information included supports interpretation of digestive capacity, microbial balance, inflammatory patterns and overall gut function, helping to build a comprehensive picture of factors that may relate to comfort, regularity and digestive wellbeing.

Practical (add-ons available)

Specimen requirements:

Stool, 1 day collection

Also available as a 3 day collection

Taking enzymes will affect the results. We recommend to stop taking digestive enzymes 2 days before starting the test and during the test.

We do allow for patients to take magnesium citrate, Psyllium grain, or prune juice.

Average processing time:

21 ±5 days

Available add-ons:

• Zonulin add-on for GIFX
• H. pylori add-on for GIFX
• Campylobacter add-on for GIFX E. coli
• C. difficile add-on for GIFX
• Lactoferrin add-on for GIFX
• Shiga toxin E. coli add-on for GIFX

Age requirements:

We do not generally recommend the GIFX for children under the age of two as they are still establishing their gut flora which can impact numerous findings on the test.
Inflammatory markers, such as calprotectin and lactoferrin, can also be skewed in younger children, especially if they are still breastfeeding.
Reference ranges for many of the markers have not been established for this population.

Downloadable research

• The risk of upper gastrointestinal complications associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, acetaminophen, and combinations of these agents

• Gastrointestinal flora and gastrointestinal status in children with autism–comparisons to typical children and correlation with autism severity

• Prevalence and risk factors of stress-induced gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill children