Matt Le Roux

16/10/2026

Good news if 10,000 steps a day has always felt out of reach! 👟 A new statement from the American College of Cardiology says even small increases in activity can make a real difference to heart health, especially if you're starting from not much at all. About 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day is linked to meaningful benefits for many adults, and adding strength work helps, too. The best plan is the one you can actually stick with. Want help working out what that looks like for you?

Exercise should be prescribed as a foundational component of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and treatment, according to a new American College of Cardiology Scientific Statement published today in JACC, its flagship journal.

15/10/2026

Could your gut bacteria affect your hormones? 🦠 A new 12-week trial in women with PCOS (now being renamed PMOS) found that adding a heat-treated form of the gut bacterium Akkermansia improved metabolic, hormonal and gut markers compared with placebo. It's one early study, but it's another sign that the gut and hormones are closely linked. If you're navigating PCOS and want a whole-picture approach, book a free discovery call with us

Maypro's AKK Probio was shown to improve a wide range of biomarkers after 12 weeks over placebo, with both groups also receiving standardized therapy.

14/10/2026

Have you ever been told your symptoms are "just stress"?

A new UK study of more than 6,600 people found that women's autoimmune symptoms were far more likely to be put down to psychological causes than men's (43% versus 33%), and that women often waited one to two years for a diagnosis.

Your symptoms are real, and you deserve to be heard. At Wave Functional Health, we take the time to understand your whole story.

If this sounds familiar, book a free discovery call with us.

Cambridge University study suggests stark gender divide in misdiagnosis, with women also waiting longer for treatment

13/10/2026

Can a simple dietary fibre help the gut defend itself against C. difficile?

New research suggests fibre-based inulin may improve resistance to C. difficile in people with ulcerative colitis, a group that’s already more vulnerable to this infection.

It’s another reminder that what we feed our gut bacteria matters. Fibre isn’t just bulk. It’s fuel for the microbes that help keep pathogens in check.

If you live with UC, don’t add or change fibre on your own. Tolerance varies a lot during flares, so it’s worth working through with your care team.

Read the full story:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The prebiotic inulin increased resistance to colonization with Clostridioides difficile in f***l microbiome samples from patients with ulcerative colitis, according to data presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. “UC flares are frequently accompanied by enteric infections,...

21/09/2026

Did you know there are thyroid tests beyond the standard TSH panel that can catch problems years before they show up?

TSH, T4, and T3 tell you how your thyroid is functioning right now. Thyroid antibody tests tell you something different: whether your immune system is attacking your thyroid. And antibodies can rise long before hormone levels change, which means this kind of testing can flag issues early.

Here's the connection most people miss: your gut plays a huge role in this. Gut inflammation and imbalanced gut bacteria can trigger immune activation, block absorption of key thyroid nutrients (iodine, iron, selenium, zinc, copper, vitamin D), and even interfere with converting thyroid hormone into its active form.

The takeaway? Thyroid health isn't just about the thyroid. Gut health, nutrition, and immune function all play a part, and looking at the full picture (not just one test) is what actually helps.

21/09/2026

Did you know a simple blood panel can predict your biological age — and your risk of chronic disease — with 90% accuracy? 🩸

Your chronological age is fixed. Your biological age is not.

In my new blog post, I unpack the nine biomarkers (things like fasting glucose, inflammation markers, kidney and liver function) that reveal how well your body is really ageing — and what you can actually do about it.

Read it here:

Chronological age tells you how many birthdays you have had. Biological age tells you how well your body is actually functioning. Dr Matt le Roux at Wave Functional Health Gold Coast explains the nine biomarkers that predict mortality, cognitive decline, and chronic disease with remarkable accuracy.

07/09/2026

Small changes can make a measurable difference.

A study involving 70 adults examined what happened when people were given a personalised plan based on their health history, lifestyle risks and blood-test results—along with regular coaching and follow-up.

The researchers reported that:

✅ 90% improved multiple chronic-disease biomarkers
✅ 94% reduced their overall health-risk score
✅ Average HbA1c decreased from 5.87% to 5.17%
✅ Fasting insulin and several inflammatory markers improved
✅ 80% of those who wanted to lose weight reported doing so

Importantly, this wasn’t simply about prescribing the same diet to everyone.

Participants made gradual, achievable changes involving nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, hydration, oral health and nutrient intake. Their plans were then adjusted according to their progress and individual needs.

This is an important part of the functional medicine approach: identify the factors contributing to poor health, measure them where possible, and help the patient make sustainable changes before those risks progress further.

The study was small and did not include a control group, so we shouldn’t treat it as definitive proof. However, it offers an encouraging reminder that personalised lifestyle support can produce changes that people feel—and that we can measure.

Study: Lewis TJ, Huang JH, Trempe C. Cureus. 2020.
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10039

18/08/2026

Does standing up leave you dizzy, breathless, or foggy?

This could be a sign of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a condition where the autonomic nervous system struggles to regulate heart rate and blood flow properly when moving from sitting or lying to standing.

POTS is often linked to viral illness, concussion, chronic stress, and periods of prolonged inactivity. The good news is that many of the underlying drivers can be identified and addressed.

At Wave Functional Health, assessment includes objective measurement of nervous system function through HRV analysis, along with functional medicine testing where needed to understand what is really going on beneath the symptoms.

Read more about POTS and how it is approached at Wave Functional Health

Standing up should not trigger a racing heart, dizziness, and fatigue. Dr Matt le Roux at Wave Functional Health Gold Coast explains what POTS is, why it happens, and how a root cause approach investigates the underlying drivers.

11/08/2026

Ever checked your smartwatch and wondered what your HRV score actually means?

You're not alone. More and more people are noticing low or inconsistent HRV readings and feeling a bit confused (and sometimes worried) about what it means for their health.

Here's the short version: HRV reflects how well your nervous system can shift between stress and recovery. Low HRV on its own isn't cause for panic. But if it comes with poor sleep, digestive troubles, trouble relaxing, or feeling wiped out after exercise, it might be worth a closer look.

We've written a full guide on the signs of nervous system dysregulation and what your HRV numbers are really telling you. Link below if you'd like to read more.

If you've noticed any of these signs yourself, our team offers clinical HRV assessment to help get to the bottom of it.

https://www.wavefunctionalhealth.com/blog/nervous-system-dysregulation-hrv-numbers

05/08/2026

Most athletes spend years refining their strength, speed and conditioning, yet very few ever look closely at the nervous system that is coordinating all of it. Performance is not only built in the gym or on the field. It is built in the brain and the autonomic nervous system, the two systems that determine how well you recover, how clearly you think under pressure, and how efficiently your body converts training into results.

Discover how functional medicine, neurofeedback and HRV testing work together to improve athletic performance, recovery and resilience from the inside out. Available at Wave Functional Health Gold Coast.