Key facts
- What it is: a pancreatic digestive enzyme measured in stool.
- On the GI-MAP: an intestinal-health / digestion marker.
- Why it matters: low levels suggest reduced pancreatic enzyme output (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency).
- Method: measured by immunoassay (ELISA).
Pancreatic elastase-1 is a digestive enzyme made by the pancreas that survives transit through the gut, so its concentration in stool reflects how much enzyme the pancreas is producing. The GI-MAP (Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus) reports it as a marker of digestion and pancreatic function.
Why elastase-1 is used
Faecal elastase-1 was validated decades ago as a highly sensitive and specific tubeless test of exocrine pancreatic function — a simple stool test that avoids more invasive procedures (PMID: 8944569). It remains a standard non-invasive marker of pancreatic enzyme sufficiency.
Reading an elastase-1 result
A normal elastase-1 indicates adequate pancreatic enzyme output. A low value can indicate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which may contribute to bloating, fat malabsorption, or loose stools. As with every GI-MAP marker, a low result is a prompt for clinical evaluation, not a diagnosis in itself.
The GI-MAP™ reports this and 85+ other markers from one at-home sample.
Order Your GI-MAP™ Test → See pricingReferences
- Löser C, Möllgaard A, Fölsch UR. Faecal elastase 1: a novel, highly sensitive, and specific tubeless pancreatic function test. Gut. 1996;39(4):580–586. PMID: 8944569.