Polyamine production

Stool
Optimal Result: 7.078 - 17.934 Healthy Relative Abundance IQR (%).

Polyamines like putrescine, spermidine, and cadaverine are metabolites of arginine and tyrosine that have many important roles in the gut like stabilizing RNA and DNA structures, supporting protein synthesis, and scavenging free radicals. However, high amounts of polyamines can be toxic to the gut microbiome. Gut bacteria primarily synthesize amines from amino acids. Generally speaking, Gram-positive bacteria tend to reduce the concentration of amines, while Gram-negative species produce amines and increase their concentration.

What does it mean if your Polyamine production result is too high?

Elevated Putrescine Levels

What Elevated Levels Signify:

Elevated levels of putrescine in the gut can indicate several potential issues or conditions:

  1. Overconsumption of Protein: High levels of putrescine are often associated with an excessive intake of dietary protein. Proteolytic fermentation of proteins by gut bacteria leads to increased production of putrescine.

  2. Gut Microbiota Imbalance: An elevated abundance of protein-degrading organisms, such as Bacteroides, can lead to higher levels of putrescine. This may reflect an imbalance in the gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis.

  3. Increased Polyamine Production: Elevated levels of putrescine can also indicate an overproduction of polyamines, which, while beneficial in moderate amounts for gut health and cellular functions, can become cytotoxic when excessively produced.

  4. Gut Health and Function: While polyamines like putrescine are essential for intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, oxidative stress relief, and gut integrity, excessively high levels might indicate underlying stress or inflammation in the gut.

What To Do About It:

To address elevated putrescine levels, consider the following steps:

  1. Dietary Adjustments:

    • Reduce Protein Intake: Evaluate and potentially reduce the intake of high-protein foods, especially those rich in polyamines, such as soybeans, mushrooms, wheat germ, beef, pork, chicken livers, oranges, and green tea leaves.
    • Balanced Diet: Ensure a balanced diet with adequate fiber to support a healthy gut microbiome.
  2. Support Gut Microbiota:

    • Probiotics and Prebiotics: Incorporate probiotics and prebiotics to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and restore balance to the gut microbiome.
    • Fermented Foods: Include fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, which can help maintain a healthy microbial balance.
  3. Monitor and Manage Gut Health:

    • Regular Testing: Keep track of putrescine levels and other gut health markers through regular testing.
    • Anti-inflammatory Strategies: Use anti-inflammatory diets or supplements to reduce gut inflammation and stress.
  4. Consult Healthcare Professionals:

    • Personalized Guidance: Work with a healthcare provider, such as a gastroenterologist or a functional medicine practitioner, to get personalized recommendations and address any underlying health conditions.
  5. Lifestyle Modifications:

    • Hydration: Ensure adequate hydration to support overall metabolic and gut health.
    • Stress Management: Incorporate stress management techniques, as stress can impact gut health and microbiota composition.

Addressing elevated putrescine levels involves a holistic approach to diet, gut health, and overall lifestyle. Working with healthcare professionals can provide tailored advice and support for optimal gut health.

What does it mean if your Polyamine production result is too low?

Polyamines are organic compounds that play critical roles in cellular functions, including DNA stabilization, protein synthesis, and cell growth. Decreased polyamine production on a BiomeFx test report may signify several potential issues related to gut health and overall physiological functions:

  1. Compromised Gut Health: Polyamines such as spermidine, spermine, and putrescine are essential for maintaining the integrity of the gut lining and supporting the regeneration of gut epithelial cells. Lower production might indicate a compromised gut barrier, potentially leading to increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut).

  2. Impaired Cellular Functions: Polyamines are vital for cellular growth and differentiation. Reduced levels may impact the normal turnover and repair of cells in the gut and other tissues, potentially affecting overall health and vitality.

  3. Microbial Imbalance: Polyamines are produced by certain gut bacteria. Reduced production might reflect an imbalance in the gut microbiome, possibly due to a decrease in beneficial polyamine-producing bacteria. This could be a sign of dysbiosis, where harmful bacteria outnumber beneficial ones.

  4. Inflammatory Conditions: Low polyamine levels might be associated with increased inflammation in the gut. Polyamines have anti-inflammatory properties, and their deficiency could contribute to or result from chronic inflammatory conditions.

  5. Nutrient Absorption Issues: Polyamines are involved in nutrient absorption processes. Decreased production could indicate or contribute to malabsorption issues, affecting the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients from the diet.

  6. Stress and Aging: Polyamine levels can be influenced by physiological stress and aging. Reduced levels might indicate increased stress or age-related decline in gut health and function.

To address decreased polyamine production, it's important to consider dietary and lifestyle modifications that support gut health, such as:

  • Prebiotics and Probiotics: Enhancing the growth of beneficial bacteria through dietary prebiotics (fibers that feed good bacteria) and probiotics (live beneficial bacteria) can help.
  • Balanced Diet: Consuming a balanced diet rich in polyamine precursors, such as certain fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods, can support polyamine synthesis.
  • Reducing Stress: Managing stress through mindfulness, exercise, and adequate sleep can positively impact gut health.
  • Regular Monitoring: Regular gut health assessments can help track changes and guide interventions.

If you have specific concerns or symptoms related to decreased polyamine production, consulting with a healthcare professional or a specialist in gut health is advisable.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a highly-personalized health dashboard.

Instead of searching for your lab results in different places or tracking them down from different providers, Healthmatters houses, organizes, and interprets them all in one central location.

With a Healthmatters account, you can dive into the details of each biomarker and gain insights into the meaning behind your medical test data, anytime, anywhere.

For our professional users, Healthmatters provides intuitive tools that not only streamline analysis but also save valuable time when delving into your client's lab report history.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.

It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.

If you’re on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.

There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."

Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.

For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.

We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.

Our special data entry service makes it easy to add your results to your private dashboard. Just attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and our skilled data entry team will do the work for you. It's all done by humans, ensuring that your data is entered accurately and with personal care for each client.

Depending on your account, the data entry service can be included for free or come at an additional cost of $15 per report.

For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.

Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.

Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.

The Unlimited plan is a one-time purchase for $250, and it covers your account for a lifetime with no additional payments.

For the Complete plan, the cost is $15 per month. You have the flexibility to cancel it anytime through your account settings, ensuring no further payments. To avoid charges, remember to cancel at least a day before the renewal date. Once canceled, the subscription remains active until the end of the current billing cycle.

Additionally, you can upgrade to the yearly Advanced plan from within your account. The annual cost is $79, and it comes with a data entry service for five reports.

You can always upgrade to a lifetime version with a prorated price from a monthly or yearly subscription.

Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.

Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.

We’ve crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.

1. Graph View:

Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.

2. All Tests View

Explore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.

3. Table View:

For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.

Yes, you can download information from your account. We can compile your labs into a CSV file. To download all your labs, you can go to Account Settings, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to download your information.

Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.

Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.

Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.

A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.

The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.