Inflammatory Markers: 5 Tests for Identifying Inflammation
Inflammatory markers are often measured in the blood and can help indicate inflammation in the body. These markers can be used as a starting point, however they don’t exactly identify the source of inflammation.
Chronic inflammation can be fueled by so many different factors, from infections, gut dysbiosis, and autoimmune conditions, to mold mycotoxins, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, histamine-related issues, and more.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation are widespread, considering it impacts every body system all the way down to our individual cells. Some symptoms include brain fog, anxiety, depression, PMS symptoms, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), fatigue, energy crashes, bloating, sugar cravings, and headaches.
Uncovering the sources of inflammation that are contributing to your symptoms not only is important for symptom relief, but also for overall health and longevity. Chronic inflammation is known to contribute to chronic disease development, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver and kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and more.
Let’s explore 5 tests for identifying inflammation and getting us one step closer to helping determine the root cause of your chronic inflammation and getting you on a path toward healing!
Test #1: C-Reactive Protein and Oxidized LDL
Both C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Oxidized LDL (OxLDL) are important markers of inflammation that are tested in the blood. Not only can they give insight into chronic inflammation in the body, but also overall risk of developing other chronic diseases caused by inflammation.
CRP is among the most common inflammatory markers tested in the blood. Although CRP is not part of a CBC (complete blood count) panel, it is often run alongside a standard CBC.
CRP is a protein produced by the liver. Normally, the liver doesn’t produce very much CRP, and ideally levels in the blood are below 1.0 mg/dL. In response to inflammation, the liver produces more CRP and this blood level increases. CRP is what we call a systemic marker of inflammation, meaning that an elevation in CRP reflects an overall increase in whole-body inflammation.
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, can be converted to Oxidized LDL (OxLDL). Oxidation occurs as the proteins and fats that make up these compounds undergo structural changes and begin to break down.
Oxidation of LDL can be caused by free radicals, which are natural byproducts of our mitochondria’s energy production processes. Free radical formation is also known as oxidative stress, and can be thought of as rust building up on our energy producing gears in our cells, or our mitochondria.
OxLDL is known to contribute to plaque build up in the arteries and is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, a set of conditions that collectively increase one’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. OxLDL has also been reported to have toxic effects on healthy cells, cause platelets to be more sticky, and increase the growth and proliferation of various types of cells.
Some amount of oxidative stress in the body is normal and is combated through nutrition and lifestyle strategies. It can also increase with inflammation and the various underlying drivers of inflammation, such as toxin exposure and excessive exercise, to name a few! Testing for CRP and OxLDL gives a better understanding of the extent to which chronic inflammation is at play in the body.
Test #2: Markers of Insulin Sensitivity
Within the blood sugar conversation, you may have heard the terms insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone produced by our pancreas that helps move glucose out of our blood and into our liver and muscle cells.
The more sensitive we are to insulin, the more effectively glucose can be transported to be used or stored. The less insulin sensitive we are, the more insulin resistant we become, and it becomes harder for our body to properly move glucose out of our bloodstream.
Blood sugar dysregulation, or insulin resistance, is a key driver of inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and conditions such as PCOS. In fact, it’s estimated about 70% of individuals with PCOS have some level of insulin resistance.
Testing markers of insulin sensitivity, such as fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), gives great insight into the extent of blood sugar dysregulation at play.
Fasting glucose is helpful in understanding insulin sensitivity, but only indicates what your blood sugar levels were at the exact moment in time that your blood was drawn.
Hemoglobin A1c is measured as a percentage of red blood cells that have glucose attached to the hemoglobin protein within red blood cells. HbA1c gives roughly a 3-month average of glucose levels over the past few months, and gives more insight than fasting glucose alone.
Fasting insulin takes us a step farther in understanding your insulin sensitivity, because it is one of the first markers to be affected by a change in blood sugar dysregulation. As our cells become less sensitive to insulin, the pancreas produces more insulin in hopes of picking up the slack and moving glucose more effectively.
This leads to increased levels of insulin in our blood stream, and hence higher fasting insulin. This change more often occurs before HbA1c and fasting glucose levels are affected. By testing fasting insulin, we can address insulin resistance in its earlier stages of development.
Test #3: Organic Acids Testing (OATs)
Organic acids are byproducts of metabolism, by which energy from food we eat is converted into chemical energy that the body can use. This process happens within the mitochondria of nearly every cell in the body.
Think back to high school biology class when you learned about how energy is produced in the body – glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the good old electron transport chain. The different intermediate compounds produced throughout those energy cascades is what we look at with Organic Acids Testing.
Organic acids are helpful markers of vitamin and mineral status, heavy metals, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and oxidative stress. In other words, organic acids testing can give helpful insight into a handful of hidden sources of inflammation.
With organic acids testing, we are able to dive deeper into understanding a broader spectrum of symptoms within a single test. For example, the microbial markers tested can point to bacterial or fungal overgrowth that may otherwise go undetected if you aren’t having overt digestive symptoms and aren’t seeking GI testing.
Also, vitamins and minerals are critical elements for the chemical reactions involved in metabolism. Without optimal vitamin and mineral levels, or with elevated heavy metals, we may see alterations in the byproducts of these reactions. This is valuable information that can be gathered from Organic Acids Testing.
Test #4: Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)
It was just mentioned how vitamins and minerals, micronutrients, are essential for metabolism. We can think of these nutrients as spark plugs for these chemical reactions.
We can become deficient in micronutrients for a variety of reasons. There may be issues with intake, or not consuming enough of these vitamins and minerals. Perhaps there are digestion and absorption issues, in which our body cannot retain those nutrients. It’s also possible that the body is losing these nutrients at a faster rate than they can be replenished.
Especially during times of stress and nervous system activation, we utilize more of our mineral reserves. Oxidative stress also leads to increased mineral utilization, as certain trace minerals act as antioxidants to combat these oxidative free radicals.
Hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) testing provides a look into mineral status over the past 3 to 6 months. It also helps identify whether someone is in an active stress response or in a post-stress depleted state.
Mineral imbalances can be a result of oxidative stress, digestive issues, heavy metal toxicity, and more. Heavy metals contribute to the toxic burden on the liver, and can lead to further mineral imbalances.
Minerals are also key regulators of inflammation and our immune system. They help regulate our innate pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways. Mineral insufficiency can lead to decreased immune function, which in turn can open the door to inflammation-fueling infections.
Test #5: Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH)
We know that chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of hormonal imbalance and conditions such as hypothyroidism and PCOS.
Hormone testing with the DUTCH provides insight into hormone and hormone metabolism, as well as liver function and a handful of organic acid markers. Hormone imbalance can be caused in part by chronic inflammatory processes and can also further fuel chronic inflammation.
Elevated androgen (i.e. testosterone and DHEA) levels can in part be caused by insulin resistance, as is often the case in PCOS. Estrogen metabolism can be impaired by a variety of factors that impact liver detoxification. From the information reported on the DUTCH, we gain helpful insight into other potential drivers of inflammation.
Daily cortisol patterns measured with this test also map out one’s stress response. Chronically elevated cortisol is a direct contributor to inflammation. Low cortisol levels often are the downstream effect of chronically elevated cortisol.
The OATs on the DUTCH test include markers of B vitamin status, gut dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance, and glutathione status. Also among these organic acids is a direct marker of oxidative stress, 8-Hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). 8-OHdG has also been shown to be correlated with hair zinc and chromium levels, two minerals particularly important for immune function.
As you can see, from hormone and hormone metabolites, to liver detoxification, adrenal hormone production, and organic acids, the DUTCH test helps identify inflammation from a variety of markers.
How is Inflammation Impacting Your Health?!
In part 1 of our Inflammation Hormony program, we’ll help you establish the foundations by addressing nutrition and lifestyle factors and are known to improve your inflammation.
Continue with us in part 2 where we will go even further with HTMA and DUTCH testing to gain a deeper understanding into your mineral status, hormone levels, hormone metabolism, liver function, organic acid and oxidative stress markers!
Don’t wait, join the waitlist now to be the first notified when doors open on August 5! We can’t wait to see you inside!
Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD
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