GABA is a neurotransmitter that occurs naturally and is known for its calming effects on the body. It is also associated with regulating the sleep/wake cycle. If we experience feelings of anxiety or hyperactivity, it could indicate an imbalance in GABA levels. This imbalance could also lead to sleep disturbances, ranging from difficulty sleeping to excessive drowsiness, depending on the severity of the imbalance. Testing for GABA levels can help identify the extent of the imbalance and the best approach to correcting it. A diet rich in GABA-containing foods, its precursor, and cofactors can help correct high or low levels of GABA.

What Does GABA Do?

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter produced in the brain. GABA is also produced and functions in the periphery. As an inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA blocks excitatory neurotransmitters by decreasing stimulation of nerve cells. This blocking action by GABA leads to the calming effect that GABA is known to produce, which helps reduce anxiousness, regulate sleep, and make us feel calmer.

What Happens When You Have a GABA Imbalance?

Imbalanced GABA levels are associated with a number of health concerns that impact quality of life. For example:

• Mental and Emotional Health
  • Low GABA symptoms include anxiousness, sad feelings, and mood swings. 6
• High GABA symptoms include poor cognition/difficulty concentrating and difficulties with memory.
• Sleep Disruptions
• Poor sleep, including difficulty falling and staying asleep, is linked to GABA deficiency. 5

How Does GABA Become Imbalanced?

A number of factors can disrupt GABA levels or associated hormones and neurotransmitters. These factors include:

• Alcohol consumption. Over time alcohol intake can cause down-regulation of GABA receptors, resulting in low GABA levels. 8
• Poor diet or maldigestion. The nutrients and cofactors found in foods necessary to make GABA can affect GABA levels. 3 Therefore, a poor diet can potentially cause low GABA levels. Some people can eat a healthy diet but due to maldigestion or malabsorption, they may still have low GABA.
• Stress. Over time stress can cause elevated levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. As GABA rises to inhibit the effect of these catecholamines, it can become depleted. 9

How Can We Naturally Support GABA?

It is possible to encourage healthy levels of GABA through lifestyle measures, including:

• Consuming foods that contain GABA, or support its production, may help increase GABA levels.
  High GABA foods include: 3
  • Brown rice
  • Cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
  • Mushrooms
  • Spinach
  • Sprouted grains
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Tomatoes

• Dietary supplements containing ingredients that support GABA receptors can reduce symptoms associated with imbalanced GABA. These supplements can also support the inhibitory properties of GABA and symptoms associated with low GABA: 15-18
  • L-Theanine
  • Magnesium
  • Taurine

• Patients can take GABA in a supplement form to improve GABA levels. Vitamin B6 is also an important cofactor in the production of GABA from glutamic acid.
• Exercise, such as high-intensity exercise, can also increase GABA levels. 19

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, in the brain that blocks specific signals in the central nervous system in order to slow down the brain. This provides a protective and calming effect on the brain and body. High fat diets are shown to reduce GABA levels in the prefrontal cortex by 40% which can result in various mood imbalances and difficulty sleeping.

Fecal gadolinium (Gd) provides an indication of Gd that has been excreted from the body in bile, and to a lesser extent oral exposure. Gadolinium can be found in the environment in geographically variable amounts, and usually at very low levels. Gadolinium is widely used in industrial and household applications such as radar technologies, compact discs, and microwaves; direct exposure from such sources is not a concern. However disposal of Gd-containing devices contributes to greater potential for human exposure.

Used as a nuclear MRI contrast agent (usually in its chelated form). Also used in magnets, compact discs, superconductors, magnets, and fluorescent materials.Can also be found in ground and drinking water.

Gdions in chelates can be exchanged with cations like zinc, copper, calcium, or iron. Zinc is a major contributor, therefore adequatezinc levels improve Gd excretion.

Gdcan accumulatein tissue, bone, and brain. Usually removed via kidney. Chelated Gd can dissociate under certain metabolic conditions and inhibit intracellular calcium signalingand disrupt the action of thyroid hormone. Gd targets iron recycling macrophages, induces cellular iron import/export, and labile iron release, which participates in systemic fibrosis.

Urinary gadolinium (Gd) provides an indication of recent or ongoing exposure to the metal, and endogenous detoxification to a lesser extent. Urinary Gd would be expected to be variably high if urine was collected within a week of medicinal Gd administration for imaging purposes.

Gd is found in the environment in geographically variable amounts, and usually at very low levels. It is widely used in industrial and household applications such as radar technologies, compact discs, and microwaves; direct exposure from such sources is not a concern. However disposal of Gd-containing devices contributes to greater potential for human exposure. The single greatest direct source of exposure to Gd is Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) that are widely used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Urinary gadolinium (Gd) provides an indication of recent or ongoing exposure to the metal, and endogenous detoxification to a lesser extent. Urinary Gd would be expected to be variably high if urine was collected within a week of medicinal Gd administration for imaging purposes.

Gd is found in the environment in geographically variable amounts, and usually at very low levels. It is widely used in industrial and household applications such as radar technologies, compact discs, and microwaves; direct exposure from such sources is not a concern. However disposal of Gd-containing devices contributes to greater potential for human exposure. The single greatest direct source of exposure to Gd is Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) that are widely used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

- Aiding in the prognosis for people diagnosed with heart failure
- Risk-stratification of heart failure people
- An early indication of treatment failure and as a therapeutic target

Galectin-3 can be used in conjunction with clinical evaluation as an aid in assessing the prognosis of people with chronic heart failure. 

Galectin-3 levels >17.8 ng/mL are present in a proportion of people with NYHA class II-IV. Such elevated levels are associated with a more progressive form of heart failure resulting in an increased hazard for death or hospitalization.

The gallbladder is a small organ located under the liver that stores bile, a substance that helps to break down fats. Sometimes polyps (small growths, usually with a stalk) form along the mucosal surface of the gallbladder; it is unclear what causes this to happen. Gallbladder polyps can cause symptoms similar to gallstones - pain in the right upper abdominal area after eating, especially with fatty meals. Appropriate management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps depends on the size of the polyp. Gallbladder polyps equal to or smaller than 5 mm are usually benign (non-cancerous). These should be evaluated with a baseline ultrasound and a repeat ultrasound in 12 months. Follow-up examinations are not necessary if the polyp is stable with the repeat ultrasound.

Discuss this finding with your primary care provider for further evaluation and management.

The Galleri multi-cancer early detection test screens for multiple cancers with a single blood test. In a clinical study, the Galleri test was able to detect a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer.

Galleri is a screening test and does not diagnose cancer. Diagnostic testing is needed to confirm cancer.

The Galleri test looks for active cancer and does not predict your future genetic risk for cancer.

The Galleri test does not detect a signal for all cancers and not all cancers can be detected in the blood.

False positives and false negative results do occur.

If Galleri detects a cancer signal, your result will include one or two Cancer Signal Origins which predict the tissue type or organ associated with the cancer signal.

Used in integrated circuits, LED’s, solar cells, laser diodes. It is also used in medicine, where the radioisotopes are used as imaging agents,and stable compounds are used in chemotherapy. Ga can be a antimicrobial agent, and used to treat life-threatening, malignancyrelated hypercalcemia. Can be found in ground water near mining, manufacturingand coal combustion plants. Most commonly seen in occupationalexposures, while thereis less data on consumer electronic exposures.

Ga competes with iron for transferrin binding and inhibits receptor-mediated iron uptake by cells, renderingcells irondeficient. Iron replacement has been shown to restore hemoglobin production in Ga exposed cells. It was also found to interact with bone metabolism and to lower calcium levels in the blood.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It serves one-third of brain neurons and is involved in depression and mania. Although there are some dietary supplement and food sources for GABA (cruciferous vegetables, spinach, tomatoes, beans, and rice), the primary source may be endogenous prodution.

Nervous tissue, the gut microbiome, the liver, pancreas, and endothelial cells are important sources for production. Endogenous GABA is produced by the decarboxylation of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamic acid.

Gliadin constitutes a class of proteins that are present in wheat and other cereal which give it the ability to rise properly when baked. The main types of gliadin are alpha, beta, gamma and omega gliadins. Research has suggested that antibody reactivity against all the above mentioned forms of gliadin are found in individuals with ‘Wheat related disorders.’

Gamma globulin is a major class of immunoglobulins found in the blood, including many of the most common antibodies circulating in the blood.

The gamma globulin band consists of 5 immunoglobulins:

- 80% is immunoglobulin G (IgG)

- 15% is immunoglobulin A (IgA)

- 5% is immunoglobulin M (IgM)

- 0.2% is immunoglobulin D (IgD)

- A trace is immunoglobulin E (IgE)

The gamma-globulin fraction contains the immunoglobulins, a family of proteins that function as antibodies.