Zonulin is a protein that regulates the “tight junctions” between intestinal cells, controlling how permeable the gut barrier is. When zonulin levels rise, the spaces between cells widen, allowing larger molecules (such as dietary proteins, toxins, or microbes) to cross into the bloodstream. This process, often called “leaky gut,” can trigger immune activation and inflammation.
Because zonulin is also produced in other organs (liver, brain, heart), measuring zonulin in stool (fecal zonulin) provides a more gut-specific marker of intestinal barrier function compared to serum.
Elevated fecal zonulin levels indicate increased intestinal permeability, which is linked to a variety of conditions:
Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis.
Metabolic and systemic conditions: metabolic syndrome, obesity, type II diabetes, juvenile fatty liver disease, Parkinson’s disease.
Digestive disorders: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), food sensitivities, and dysbiosis.
Environmental and lifestyle factors: cigarette smoking, exposure to food additives, toxins, heavy metals, mold mycotoxins, and certain medications.
Notably, research has shown cigarette smokers often have elevated fecal zonulin even in the absence of IBD, highlighting smoking’s effect on gut barrier disruption.
Several factors can trigger excessive zonulin release:
Gluten (gliadin fragments) – especially in genetically susceptible individuals (HLA-DQ2/DQ8).
Gut microbes and toxins – bacterial adherence, bacterial toxins, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), parasites.
Dietary factors – excess sugar, sodium, emulsifiers, processed foods, microbial transglutaminase, nanoparticles.
Stress and medications – corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, chemotherapy, psychological stress.
Environmental exposures – chemicals, metals, mold.
Fecal zonulin, especially when combined with other stool inflammation markers (such as calprotectin, secretory IgA, β-glucuronidase, and anti-gliadin IgA), helps clinicians:
Distinguish between autoimmune inflammatory bowel disorders (IBD) and other inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions.
Assess barrier dysfunction in patients with genetic risk for celiac disease (HLA-DQ2/DQ8).
Evaluate IBS-D and comorbid digestive disorders, where elevated zonulin may explain persistent symptoms.
Monitor barrier restoration following dietary and lifestyle interventions.
Since zonulin’s effects are reversible, reducing inflammation and correcting triggers can lower levels and restore gut barrier integrity. Interventions may include:
Dietary modifications – removing gluten/gliadin, limiting processed foods, and reducing sugar and emulsifiers.
Nutrient support – glutamine, taurine, zinc, calcium, selenium, vitamins A, C, D, flavonoids, and polyphenols.
Omega-3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA to reduce inflammation.
Probiotics and prebiotics – to restore microbiome balance, increase short-chain fatty acid production, and lower zonulin.
Stress reduction and addressing toxin exposures (metals, mold, chemicals).
Elevated fecal zonulin is a sign of impaired gut barrier function, commonly referred to as “leaky gut.” While not diagnostic of a single disease, it is a valuable biomarker that helps identify intestinal permeability problems and guides further investigation. Addressing diet, lifestyle, and microbiome balance can lower zonulin, strengthen the gut barrier, and reduce long-term risk of inflammation and chronic disease.
References:
Malickova K, et al. Fecal zonulin is elevated in Crohn’s disease and in cigarette smokers. Pract Lab Med. 2017.
Szymanska E, et al. Fecal Zonulin as a Noninvasive Biomarker of Intestinal Permeability in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. J Clin Med. 2021.
Fasano A. All disease begins in the (leaky) gut: role of zonulin-mediated gut permeability in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. F1000Res. 2020.
High levels of fecal zonulin indicate that the tight junctions in the intestinal lining are being disrupted, leading to increased intestinal permeability (often called “leaky gut”). When the gut barrier becomes too permeable, larger molecules such as toxins, microbes, or undigested food proteins can cross into the bloodstream. This may trigger immune activation, inflammation, and food sensitivities.
Unlike serum zonulin, which can reflect production in multiple organs (liver, brain, heart), fecal zonulin gives a gut-specific measure of barrier integrity. Elevated levels suggest the gut itself is contributing to barrier dysfunction.
Research shows that persistently elevated fecal zonulin is associated with:
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) – Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (especially in genetically susceptible individuals, HLA-DQ2/8)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) and food intolerances
Metabolic conditions – obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, fatty liver disease
Autoimmune and inflammatory disorders – type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma
Neurological conditions – Parkinson’s disease
Lifestyle and environmental factors – smoking, toxin or mold exposure, processed food additives
Notably, cigarette smoking alone has been shown to significantly increase fecal zonulin levels, even in otherwise healthy individuals.
Triggers for high zonulin include:
Gluten (gliadin fragments) – particularly in celiac or gluten-sensitive individuals
Gut infections and dysbiosis – bacteria, parasites, or microbial toxins
Medications – corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, chemotherapy
Dietary factors – excess sugar, salt, emulsifiers, preservatives, microbial transglutaminase
Stress and environmental exposures – metals, chemicals, mold mycotoxins
An elevated fecal zonulin result suggests that your intestinal barrier is more permeable than normal. This does not diagnose one specific disease, but it highlights a potential root cause of inflammation, immune activation, and digestive symptoms.
Your healthcare provider may recommend:
Confirmatory testing with other gut inflammation markers (calprotectin, secretory IgA, β-glucuronidase, anti-gliadin IgA)
Dietary changes, such as reducing gluten and processed foods
Gut-supportive nutrients (glutamine, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A/D/C, probiotics, polyphenols)
Addressing dysbiosis or infections through stool analysis and treatment
Lifestyle adjustments to reduce smoking, stress, and environmental toxin exposure
By lowering triggers and supporting gut barrier repair, zonulin levels can often be reduced, helping to restore gut integrity and overall immune balance.
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
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A low fecal zonulin result usually means a healthy gut barrier. Zonulin is a protein that regulates the “tight junctions” of the intestinal lining—these are connections that help seal the gut lining and control how permeable the barrier is. While high fecal zonulin suggests increased intestinal permeability (often called “leaky gut”), low levels typically indicate that the gut barrier is not actively releasing zonulin, and intestinal permeability is not currently elevated.
In most cases, a low fecal zonulin result can be interpreted as a normal or healthy finding—showing that the gut lining is intact and not overly permeable.
It’s important to note that genetics can influence zonulin results. Zonulin serves as a precursor to haptoglobin (a protein linked to certain genetic types), and zonulin levels vary depending on haptoglobin genotype:
HP 1-1 genotype (null type): may show little or no measurable zonulin, even if gut inflammation or autoimmune disease is present.
HP 1-2 and HP 2-2 genotypes: generally produce more measurable zonulin.
Some individuals—especially those with HP 1-1 genetics—may have low or undetectable zonulin levels even when gut barrier dysfunction exists.
Low fecal zonulin levels may be seen in:
People with normal intestinal barrier function
Patients using anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive therapies (such as corticosteroids or chemotherapy), which may reduce zonulin release
Certain genetic backgrounds, where zonulin is not a reliable marker
Because genetics and medications can influence zonulin levels, results should be interpreted together with other markers of gut health, such as calprotectin, secretory IgA, β-glucuronidase, and anti-gliadin IgA—as well as clinical history and symptoms.
Low fecal zonulin is generally a positive sign, indicating your gut barrier is not showing increased permeability. However, individual genetics and medications can affect results. Your provider will consider your zonulin level alongside your overall health, gut symptoms, and additional lab markers to give the most complete and accurate assessment.
In short: Low fecal zonulin often means a strong, intact gut lining, but results are best understood in the context of your overall health.
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Easily upload lab results from any provider, whether it's a hospital, independent lab, or home testing service. We support PDFs, scanned documents, and JPEGs from patient portals. No need to log in to multiple platforms — everything is centralized in one secure space.
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Whether it's a blood test, GI panel, urinalysis, or something else, lab reports measure numerous biomarkers that reveal what's happening inside your body. Our extensive database covers over 10,000 biomarkers, providing clear, simple explanations of what each result means and how you can take action—no matter your membership level. Say goodbye to confusion and get the insights you need to better understand your health.
Our database covers over 10,000 biomarkers with clear, simple explanations—so you can finally understand your results and what to do next.
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Enter Your Lab Reports — Always Free
If you'd like to handle inputting your health data into your account, you can do so with our easy-to-use data entry forms. Our user-friendly form is designed to guide you through the quick and easy submission process, making it simple to keep track of your health metrics. This is available to both Complete plan and Unlimited plan members.
Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
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View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
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Export Your Complete Lab History
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
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Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
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Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
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As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
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Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
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.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
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 Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
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.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
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 ViewExplore 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 your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
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.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
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.
Optimal Result:
25.1 - 160.8 ng/mL.