Do I Need A Gut Microbiome Test
I am very much in favour of people taking charge of their own wellbeing, and investigating the health of their microbiome is certainly one way in which they can do so. As explained in the previous section, stool testing can offer some valuable insights, including inflammatory patterns, and elevated levels of pathogenic microbes which could cause gut health problems. There are a couple of things to bear in mind before embarking on a stool test, to make sure you get the most out of the experience:
- There is no perfect microbiome. Its very important to understand that every persons microbiome is different and unique to them , so there is no optimal template to compare the test findings to. Testing laboratories currently use algorithms to compare the specific microbes, and ratios of those microbes, found in a stool sample, with the microbial profile of a so called healthy individual. Defining a healthy individual is quite a subjective process however, and good microbiomes will vary according to genetics, diet, and environment.;
- Microbiome tests dont identify strains. Microbes are typically identified only by either phyla or genus, rarely by species or strain. This explains why you may not see the specific strains in your daily probiotic supplement identified in the test results.
Read more about the difference between species and strains in this article:;Are all probiotics the same?
How Do I Get Rid Of Bad Bacteria In The Gut
There are actually relatively few bacteria that you should get rid of. While somelike salmonella or campylobacterare very bad news, bacteria are mostly neither good nor bad: at normal levels, theyre neutral. In an unbalanced microbiome though, some microbes can multiply to abnormal levels.;
A good gut health test will show you which microbes have multiplied beyond healthy levels. Again, its all about diversity and balance. Read more about how getting rid of overgrown bacteria is not always a good plan in our blog How to get rid of bad bacteria in the gut.
When To Skip Gut Microbiome Testing
We do these tests on people whose primary ailment is digestive, says Dr. McConnell. But according to her, one exception is when she suspects SIBO, which stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. If its limited to upper GI symptoms I may forego doing a stool test and instead do a SIBO breath test, she continues. A SIBO breath tests for specific gases emitted by bacteria in the supper GI tract that cant be measured in a stool test.;
Other patients that should hit the pause button on this type of test are those with a poor diet. If youre eating processed and inflammatory foods on a regular basis, I wont always offer this test as a first pass, says Dr. McConnell. Instead, I go for food first, she continues. If theres a lot of room for improvement in your diet, simple changes can often resolve the GI issues without the need for advanced testing.;
So, how often should you get a gut microbiome test? These tests arent cheap and theyre not something you need to do over and over again. In fact, we typically do the test once, treat, see improvement, and then there isnt a need to do it again for quite some time, says Dr. McConnell.
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What Is The Viome Gut Bacteria Test Kit
Viome is leading the way among other microbiome testing companies. Utilizing only the latest technology, Viome offers extremely comprehensive results after analyzing your gut at a molecular level. This means that those who opt for this test kit will have the most personalized information to make food choices from. Unlike other test companies, Viome offers a recommended diet for each individual based on the function of their microbes. Viome’s recommendations will help anyone who takes this test maintain a healthy body weight for the long term. Those who buy and use Viomes gut bacteria test kit are in an excellent position to improve their overall well-being by understanding exactly whats happening in their gut instead of just guessing.
While the discovery of the human gut microbiome is fairly new, it is an important and exciting discovery. When a person uses Viome’s gut test, it can help to improve his or her overall wellness exponentially. If youre suffering from a host of symptoms, its worth getting tested to find out if your gut could be the source. Try Viomes gut test today and feel the difference.;
What Is A Microbiome
Your microbiome is a genetic snapshot of all the microscopic organisms in your body. Usually when people use the term, theyre referring specifically to the gut microbiome.
Increasingly, medical studies are referencing our microbiota, the collection of microbesbacteria, viruses, yeast, and other microscopic organismsthat live in and on our body. While these microbes exist throughout our bodies, the gut microbiome is the most well-studied. And, though our entire microbiota includes several microscopic organisms, the best-studied microbes to date are bacteria, of which there are hundreds of species and trillions of individual cells.
Some of these bacteria can harm us, as potential pathogenssalmonella and E. coli are two well-known gut pathogens, for examplewhile others actively help us, producing vitamins or inhibiting the replication of pathogens; others are seemingly neutral, neither actively helping or harming, but thriving as a part of our internal microbial ecosystem.
When you send in your fecal sample for a microbiome test, its analyzed in a lab using a method called 16s RNA ribosomal sequencing. Basically, scientists isolate and sequence the DNA in your sample and look only at the part that comes from bacteria. This genetic snapshot of your microbiota is usually referred to as your microbiome. From the analysis, you learn what species of bacteria are present in your microbiome, and how diverse your microbiota is in comparison to others.
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How To Test Gut Microbiome At Home
Now for why Im so excited about testing poop!
Until recently, most gut testing cost thousands of dollars and had to be ordered through a doctor. Testing also provided an incomplete picture of gut health and used the old 16S method of sequencing.
The 16S method analyzes the bacteria in the gut, but as I showed above, this is an incomplete picture. To fully analyze the bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, archaea, fungi, yeast, parasites, and other organisms, a more complete testing is needed.
How Can I Tell Which Is The Best Microbiome Test
The best gut health test is one that offers a full spectrum microflora analysis and includes full HD resolution scanning of over 23,000 microbes including probiotics, viruses, phages, and fungi. Think of it like watching your favorite movie, sports team, or show on tv. Would you prefer watching it with 1080p resolution or 5K UHD? Our whole genome sequencing gut test results will show you your bacteria all the way down to the species level, so you know you’re getting the best resolution.
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How Can I Improve My Gut Health
Many people today have gut problems because of modern life. Eating the wrong kinds of foods can lead to dysbiosis in the gut microbiome. It is no wonder that many people suffer from a host of digestive upsets. It is essential to find your unique balance. With Viomes Gut Intelligence Test, you can determine where those imbalances lie and get the insight you need in order to make more educated choices when it comes to the right foods that will benefit your individual health. We all know that each person is unique. This includes your microbiome. A diet that works for one person will not work for another. Our test ensures that you choose the foods that benefit you.
Thryve Gut Health Program
Another very solid choice in our top three microbiome tests is the Thryve Gut Health Program. Right now, Thryves test isnt the most comprehensive test available ; this test focuses on gut bacteria, a narrower scope than BIOHM and significantly narrower than Viomes test. Thryve intends to offer more comprehensive gut microbiome testing in the future.
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It May Help Fight Cancer
Researchers are working to harness the power of the microbiome in cancer treatments. With immunotherapy, your bodyâs immune system destroys cancer cells. Research shows that the microbiome helps these drugs work better by sending signals to immune cells. Scientists are working on creating microbiome medicines that can be given alongside cancer treatments.
What Is Your Gut Telling You Take A Gut Health Test To Find Out
Research still has much room for further study on the human microbiome and its influence over human health. Our GutBiome+ test, however, uses the most advanced technology available to help you understand your body on a deeper level. Take the first steps toward improving your health by ordering your gut microbiome testing kit today!
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You Can Use Your Insights For Informed Conversations With Health Professionals
Once youve established your initial insights, you can use them with the support of a relevant healthcare provider who is familiar with the role of the gut microbiome in health.
In partnership with the right health professional, a report outlining the balance of your gut microbiome and its potential to produce health-associated substances can be a valuable tool in your overall health care.
Please note, if you have a medical condition or take regular medication, it is important to speak to your medical practitioner before making any significant changes to your diet or lifestyle.
References
Personalized Medicine: The Future Of Health
If you heard the recent 100th episode of The Wellness Mama Podcast, you know that I strongly feel that there is not a single perfect diet that works for everyone or a supplement that will fix all your problems. We all need sleep and community and sunshine, but the rest is very personalized based upon each individuals needs.
What works wonderfully for one person may make someone else feel worse. I feel great when I take a lot of magnesium. Some people experience low blood pressure from taking it. I dont feel good if I eat a lot of carbs. Some people feel amazing on a relatively high carb diet.
At the end of the day, we each have to figure out the foods, supplements, and lifestyle factors that are best for us.
But how?
Thankfully, today we dont have to wait on a doctor to get insight into our health. There are now services with on-call doctors that are only a text or a call away.
Even without a doctor, we can do testing like 23 and Me, which shows our genes. This is helpful, but most of us arent geneticists and dont know what the results mean. . I know I have MAO-A and an MTHFR mutation, and thanks to research Im able to make some dietary changes based on this, but the research is still new. It also only shows half of the picture.
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Ombucha Home Gut Microbiome Test Uk
Its time to find out whats actually going on inside your gut with our personal home Microbiome Test. Quickly and accurately learn how to repair the problem with the help of our support.
There is no magic pill and you certainly dont need another one-size-fits-all diet. Instead, you need a science-based nutrition plan, tailored to your needs, that tells you which foods you need to eat, to boost the health of your own gut microbiome.
OMBucha now offer an easy-to-use Microbiome Test that you can take in the privacy of your own home.
Take a look inside the mysterious and magnificent world of your gut biome and learn how your gut diversity compares to the general population, as well as the level of protection you have against diseases like diabetes type 2, heart disease, Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis and obesity. Discover how well your gut microbes are processing fibre and synthesising essential vitamins.
Every scientific finding is distilled into an easy to understand list of practical, everyday food recommendations, so you can literally eat yourself healthy. Simply work your way through your recommended food list, consuming each food at least once a week, to help repair your microbiome and boost your gut health.
Your results will be explained to you during a free consultation with one of OMBucha® nutritional therapists.
Complement Your Kefir Journey
When you put trillions of really live fresh probiotic cultures into the gut with their own prebiotic soluble fibre, you empower your gut to fight back against threats like infection and pathogens. Just as in the planetary ecosystems around us, a healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome. The more strains of beneficial bacteria and yeast inside your gut, the stronger your microbiome. Learn which foods and vitamins will help your kefir do its good work inside your system.
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How To Test Your Gut Health
- Get to know your poop: It might sound funny, but becoming an expert on your own stools tells you a lot about whats going on in your gut. Check out this handy poop chart to help you identify any problem areas. You want to look at the stools consistency, whether it floats or sinks, its color and how often you go .
- Talk to your doctor: Talk to your healthcare provider about your gut health and digestion. They can help you understand your gut, suggest lifestyle and dietary changes and refer you to a gastroenterologist.
- Take a gut test: You can now send a fecal sample from home to a company like Viome. They send you a test kit in the mail, and you pay them a fee to analyze your stools. Youll receive a detailed report with a list of all the bacteria in your gut, how your microbiome compares to other peoples, and how to keep your healthy bacteria thriving with supplement and diet recommendations. You can test again to monitor your progress and see if any changes you made are working to heal your gut.
It might surprise you to think that mental health, energy and immunity all interact with digestion. But it makes sense, when you think about ityour gut microbiome is responsible for breaking down the food you turn into energy that powers your entire body, from your muscles to your brain. So, if you want to take care of your health, feel great and build a strong foundation for overall wellness, go with your gut.
Future Areas Of Research
The microbiome is a living dynamic environment where the relative abundance of species may fluctuate daily, weekly, and monthly depending on diet, medication, exercise, and a host of other environmental exposures. However, scientists are still in the early stages of understanding the microbiomes broad role in health and the extent of problems that can occur from an interruption in the normal interactions between the microbiome and its host.
Some current research topics:
- How the microbiome and their metabolites influence human health and disease.
- What factors influence the framework and balance of ones microbiome.
- The development of probiotics as a functional food and addressing regulatory issues.
Specific areas of interest:
- Factors that affect the microbiome of pregnant women, infants, and the pediatric population.
- Manipulating microbes to resist disease and respond better to treatments.
- Differences in the microbiome between healthy individuals and those with chronic disease such as diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, cancers, and cardiovascular disease.
- Developing diagnostic biomarkers from the microbiome to identify diseases before they develop.
- Alteration of the microbiome through transplantation of microbes between individuals .
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What Do We Know About The Microbiome
Science has come a long way in learning about you, your microbiome and gut health. The problem is, the more we uncover, the more we find out we need still need to discover!
How Many Types Of Microbes Are There?
Right now researchers have identified about 10,000 species that can inhabit your GI tract. Every few years they discover and catalog about 1,500 more. Right now they estimate that eventually, they will find 20,000 to 40,000 in total. But the truth is, even the top scientists dont know for sure. Your microbiome is complex and dynamic. Its constantly changing.
Every time they discover new microbes questions emerge like:
- What does this microbe do?
- What genes does it affect?
- How does it interact with other microbes?
- Has it always been in the microbiome or is it new?
- Is it supposed to be there, or should we try and get rid of it?
The more researchers find, the more they have to unpack that information. They scramble to figure out what the new data means to you and your health.;;
How Many Microbes Do We Have?
Doctors used to think that the number of microbes vastly outnumbered your own cells. Now thats been revised. They presently state that the number is about the same. You have as many microbes as your own cells — yet they admit there is about a 25% variance amongst different people. Plus, your microbiome changes continuously. Even one bowel movement can significantly change that number!
Which Microbes Are The Good Ones?
How Much Does The Microbiome Change?
How To Test Your Gut Health Online Or At Home
You can order a gut health test from several online providers.
Do your research. You want to make sure that your gut health test kit provider a) looks at bacteria, yeasts, parasites and digestive markers, and b) will help you understand what they mean for your health. If you dont have those two elements, youll be left with set of data thats both incomplete and baffling.
Heres how the process works at Healthpath:
Youll also fill in a detailed symptom survey on your Healthpath account. We encourage this because youre more than just datahow you feel is an important part of your health picture.
After that, the lab will analyse your sample, and youll receive a;report detailing which microbes have been found. In your Healthpath report, a practitioner will consider both your results and your symptoms to give you personalised, practical advice.
To make results as accurate as possible, its also important to prepare for the test properly. You should:
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