Is hsCRP useful for gut health?

hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) is a well-established biomarker of systemic inflammation, but it is not specific to gut health. Elevated hsCRP (>3 mg/L) can indicate general inflammation that may accompany gut conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome, but it is not selective for the gut. Factors such as infection, stress, obesity, or smoking also raise hsCRP. In clinical practice, hsCRP is primarily used for cardiovascular risk assessment, not for diagnosing gut issues. For gut health, more specific markers like fecal calprotectin (gut inflammation) or lactulose/mannitol tests (intestinal permeability) are preferred. A normal hsCRP does not rule out low-grade gut inflammation. Therefore, hsCRP alone has limited utility for assessing gut health. Evidence: human-moderate – hsCRP is well-validated for systemic inflammation but not for gut-specific assessment. Caveat: Not diagnostic; if gut symptoms are present, specific stool tests or medical evaluation are recommended.