My 2025 Functional Blood Work: Gut Health, Protein, and the Hidden Clues - Part 3
In Part 1, I unpacked the signs of an overactive immune system. In Part 2, I explored my kidney markers and why “dysfunction” might be misleading. This week, we’re scratching the surface of gut health and what my blood is telling me about digestion, inflammation, and protein metabolism.
A History of Gut Issues
My gut health story goes back to around 2010, when I was deep into the endurance world — marathons, triathlons, and Ironman events. At the time, I thought endurance athletes were the fittest people on the planet. That more hours, more miles, more pain meant more health.
It took a few years (and plenty of symptoms) to realise just how wrong I was.
Endurance sports can do a number on your gut — especially when training volume is high, sleep is poor, stress is chronic, and recovery is an afterthought. If you want to read more about how that chapter impacted my health.
What My Blood Work Says Now
My 2025 Functional Blood Work flagged a 62% probability of GI dysfunction.
Now, I’m not overly concerned because:
I’m already deep into a gut protocol (read more)
Blood work alone isn’t the gold standard for assessing gut health
Tests like a comprehensive stool analysis or OAT (Organic Acids Test) give far better insight into the gut microbiome, pathogens, and digestive markers. That said, blood can still give valuable clues, especially when viewed as part of a bigger pattern.
In this case, the Functional Report looks at the following markers to assess GI health:
Let’s break a few of these down.
BUN (HIGH)
BUN measures how much urea nitrogen is in your blood, a byproduct of protein breakdown.
High BUN can be caused by:
A high-protein diet (✅ that’s me)
Dehydration
Hard training or stress
Kidney dysfunction (context matters — see Part 2)
Creatine use (which increases protein turnover)
In my case, I’m not concerned. I covered the reasons for my high BUN in Part 2 on kidney function, and the rest of the picture supports that it’s likely diet and training related, not a dysfunction.
Total Protein & Albumin (LOW)
This one made me pause.
Low total protein may indicate you're not absorbing or utilising the protein you're eating, even if your intake is high. And mine is.
Total protein = Albumin (liver-made, transport and fluid balance) + Globulin (immune proteins, inflammation, and clotting).
Reasons for low total protein:
Poor intake (unlikely for me)
Malabsorption — leaky gut, low stomach acid, IBD, enzyme deficiency
Liver stress or underfunction
Protein loss through kidneys (unlikely for me)
Chronic inflammation or infection (unlikely, my bloods don't show inflammation)
Overtraining or chronic stress (unlikely, I'm training a lot smarter these days)
Low stomach acid (common in midlife men)
This is where things start to connect. If I’m breaking down a lot of protein (high BUN) but not absorbing enough of it (low total protein), something is off with digestion, inflammation, or stress load.
What Is Chloride (HIGH)
Chloride is an electrolyte, like sodium and potassium, that helps regulate:
Fluid balance
Blood pressure
pH (acid-base balance)
Nerve and muscle function
It’s tightly linked to sodium, potassium, and hydration status.
Possible Causes of High Chloride (Hyperchloremia):
Dehydration (unlikley me as I drink 2-3L per day)
Even mild dehydration can concentrate chloride in the blood.
Common in high-protein diets, heavy training, or low water intake.
High Sodium Intake (esp. table salt or electrolyte drinks) (I do add salts (electrolyte) to my water)
Chloride often rises alongside sodium.
Think salt-heavy diets, processed foods, or overdoing electrolyte supplements.
Kidney Stress or Compensation (BUN/creatinine elevated)
Your kidneys regulate chloride.
If other electrolytes are off (e.g. potassium low, or BUN/creatinine elevated), your kidneys may retain chloride to maintain balance.
Low-Grade Acidosis (I do eat high protein)
Chloride rises when your body is in a more acidic state (e.g. from a high-protein diet, intense training, poor gut function, or low veggie intake).
This can impact mineral balance, bone health, and recovery.
Supplement or Medication Effect (Makes sense)
If you’re using creatine, betaine, electrolyte powders, or antacids, they could be affecting acid-base or chloride balance.
Why It Matters in Midlife
For men in midlife — especially those training hard and eating high-protein — this slight rise could be your body's way of saying, “I’m compensating. But long term, this compensation has a cost.”
High chloride isn’t inherently dangerous — but when paired with:
High BUN
Lower total protein
Signs of stress or gut dysfunction
…it suggests your system might be under strain — particularly digestive, renal, or acid-base stress.
What I’m Doing About It
Check hydration: Are you actually drinking enough water?
Dial in sodium/potassium balance: Consider increasing potassium-rich whole foods.
Support alkalinity: More veggies, minerals (magnesium, potassium), and less dietary acid load.
Review electrolyte or salt supplements
Eosinophils & Basophils (HIGH)
These are types of white blood cells linked to your immune system and allergic responses.
High eosinophils often point to gut inflammation, food sensitivities, parasites, or chronic allergic-type reactions.
High basophils may indicate histamine issues, inflammation, or even autoimmune activity.
Given my past gut issues and high histamine levels (which I’ve written about here), these findings make sense.
What I’m Doing About It
I’m not ignoring this. Gut health affects everything, from immunity and hormones to mental clarity, sleep, and inflammation.
Here’s what I’m doing:
✅ Continuing a 60-day gut repair protocol
✅ Supporting digestion with Thorne Advanced Digestive Enzymes (to boost stomach acid and nutrient breakdown)
✅ Reducing training volume and frequency to allow the body to recover and redirect resources
✅ Monitoring my protein absorption and markers over time
🔄 Planning to retest in ~6-12 months after completing the gut protocol
Iron – Serum (HIGH)
I'm aware of high Iron and it's related my hemochrombtosis genetics (I store iron). I'll be writing a more detailed blog post about this in the weeks ahead.
About 1 in 200–300 people in the general population are homozygous (carry two copies of the faulty HFE gene, usually C282Y) and are at risk of developing clinical iron overload. Men are 2 to 3 times more likely than women to develop symptoms or complications. Symptoms usually show up between 40–60 years old in men, when iron has had decades to accumulate.
Why It Matters in Midlife Men:
Unchecked iron overload can lead to:
Fatigue, joint pain, and low libido (often mistaken for "just aging")
Liver disease or cirrhosis
Diabetes
Heart issues
Brain fog and mood changes
These symptoms overlap with many common midlife issues, which is why hemochromatosis often goes undiagnosed for years.
Suggested Blood Tests:
Serum ferritin
Transferrin saturation %
Serum iron + TIBC
HFE gene test (if iron markers are high)
A Thought for Midlife Men
You might be eating enough protein. You might be training hard. You might be checking every box.
But if your gut is compromised, your body can’t do much with what you give it.
This is where so many men get frustrated. Putting in the effort, but not seeing the result. And no one ever tells them to check the gut.
Most of us don’t connect bloating, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, or sleep issues to what’s happening in the digestive system. But it’s all connected.
Don’t ignore the gut. Don’t wait until symptoms get worse. And don’t assume more effort will fix something that actually needs healing.
Coming Up Next…
In Part 4, I’ll dive into liver and gallbladder function, what the markers say, how they tie into fatigue, hormone clearance, digestion, and mental sharpness.
If you’re a man in midlife who wants to stay strong, focused, and resilient… stay with me.
This isn’t just data. It’s a roadmap.
