In This Article
In This Article
The trillions of bacteria in your gut are hard at work to keep you healthy. These bacteria affect your immune system and brain function.
The quality of your gut bacteria can affect your mood, weight, and even your mental health. A gut test will tell you if your gut is healthy.
In this post, we'll go through some of the tests that show you the most, and what to do with the results.
Your gut’s microbiome plays a vital role in many aspects of your health. It:
Understanding gut function and testing for problems in your gut helps you evaluate your current health status and determine what you can do to improve your situation.
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
You might think of your stomach when you hear the term gut, but this is only a part of your body’s gut.
The gut encompasses your entire gastrointestinal tract. It begins at the mouth and ends at the anus.
The gut is responsible for processing food. The process begins when you take a bite and ends when the waste that isn’t used is passed out as stool.
If the gut handles any part of the process inefficiently, it affects your overall health. This includes mental and emotional health.
Poor gut health also triggers symptoms including:
The gut’s microbiome includes everything in the gut’s environment. This includes microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi, and their collective genetic material present in the gut.
All of these things play an important role in:
Dr. Harshi Dhingra has an M.D. in Pathology.
She is a registered pathologist with over a decade of experience in diagnostic, clinical, research, and teaching work. She manages all aspects of pathology laboratory, including histopathology, cytology, hematology, and clinical pathology.
Currently, Dr. Dhingra is employed as faculty in a medical school and research center.
Gut health is the state of your gut microbiome and how they influence your overall health.
Gut health is a novel concept for most health enthusiasts. Some people feel they don't need to pay attention because they don't have any gastrointestinal issues.
But, this can be misleading. Most diseases that result from gut bacteria imbalance rarely show early signs. Some brain-related conditions such as fatigue, poor concentration and memory, stress, anxiety, and depression can all be symptoms of an unhealthy gut.
A healthy gut contains a healthy amount of the gut microbiome. These gut microbiomes promote lots of healthy body processes, right from infancy and throughout human life.
A lot of factors can affect gut health. They include:
“Plenty of the bad bacteria or too less of the good ones can cause your gut flora to be imbalanced. Your diet is really the first step toward achieving optimal gut balance,” says Dr. Dhingra.
If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, it could indicate a problem with gut health. But sometimes symptoms are subtle or you might have so many you aren’t sure exactly what is going on. In these cases, a microbiome test might help.
A gut microbiome test can reveal a variety of information about the status and health of your gut.
A microbiome test can also possibly improve skin, increase energy, improve sleep, and lose weight. This doesn't happen for everyone, but testing your gut bacteria can help you and give you information about what to improve on.
Health experts have varying opinions concerning the effectiveness of microbiome testing kits. Some recommend using more than one test and comparing the results to provide you with a more complete picture of your gut health.
It’s also important to review with your doctor any results you get from a test before making significant changes to improve your gut health.
If you decide to use an at-home microbiome test, look for tests that:
Testing your gut microbiome from the comfort of home can be done by following these four simple steps:
How to take a Microbiome Test:
Order one of the best at-home microbiome test kits.
Not all tests check for the same things, so pick one that matches your needs. All the tests we mention in this article can be ordered online and should arrive at your door in around five days.
Collect a sample to be tested.
Make sure to follow your test kit's directions during this step. While most kits ask you to submit a stool sample, some, such as Ixcela’s Internal Fitness Test Kit, analyze your blood.
Submit your sample and wait for it to be tested.
It will generally take around a month for your sample to be analyzed, but this can vary depending on the company and testing methods used.
Wait two to four weeks
And receive your results.
Microbiome test kits differ from each other when it comes to price, use, coverage, and other factors. In this list, we give you the top six microbiome test kits with their corresponding key features to help you make a great choice.
1
The Ombre Gut Health Test (formerly Thryve) checks stool samples for bacteria that affect your mood, weight, energy levels, immunity, and mental health.
It scores your gut health and identifies which species you need to work on or keep under control.
“Ombre is one of the best at-home tests I would recommend, because they don’t just offer health tests. The company also provides food recommendations and probiotic supplements — both of which play an important role in your gut microbiome and overall health,” Dr. Dhingra recommends.
Key features
Our tester Joel found out "that while my gut health diversity was superb, I would benefit from eating artichokes and apricots. The advice I got was actionable and helpful.
2
Viome's Gut Intelligence Test analyzes your gut health using a small stool sample. The test offers more information than many of its competitors, things like the number of organisms living in your gut and what they do to affect your health.
With Viome, your analysis includes a 90-day nutrition plan and personalized supplement recommendations to help you take charge of your gut health. This at-home gut test is also less expensive than many of the others on the market.
Key Features:
3
If you're having difficulty concentrating, chronic diarrhea, headaches, and nutritional deficiencies, then you may be suffering from a condition known as leaky gut syndrome.
By taking Verisana's leaky gut test at home, you can narrow down if this common ailment is the cause of your discomfort. And luckily, with dietary and lifestyle changes, leaky gut syndrome can usually be healed.
Key Features:
“Verisana is a good option for people with special gut health needs,” says Dr. Dhingra.
4
With Wellnicity's My Gut - Health test you can identify yeast, bacteria, and other factors that can negatively affect your gut’s microbiome.
Their state-of-the-art laboratory can identify thousands of different microorganisms that call your body home, including parasites.
If you're experiencing any digestive symptoms, this test can find gluten antibodies and unique GI inflammation markers to help you narrow down the cause.
While it's a bit more expensive than the competition, they offer some things you won't find elsewhere. This includes the ability to speak with a clinical nutritionist.
Key Features:
“In cases of gluten intolerance, the Wellnicity test is something I would recommend that patients take to find out,” says Dr. Dhingra.
5
Ixcela's at-home microbiome test can tell you about your gut's health simply by analyzing a drop of blood.
Their test measures 11 different metabolites found in your blood so you can better understand your microbiome.
Using your results, Ixcela provides you with loads of actionable insights to help you improve your overall health. This includes things that the competition doesn't offer, such as a workout plan.
Key Features:
6
Using the power of science, and a small stool sample, Biohm’s Gut Test gives you a unique look into your digestive health.
This includes actionable insights, such as dietary recommendations, personalized supplements, and the foods you should and shouldn’t be eating.
Biohm’s gut health test will issue you an overall gut score, on a scale from 1 to 10, which will more or less grade your microbiome diversity. Additionally, Biohm’s gut bacteria test will compare your bacterial and fungal communities with the normal levels of a healthy gut.
Key Features:
Even with this list of reliable at-home microbiome tests, you might still struggle to pick the best test for your needs. Tests, despite their similarities, offer a variety of different assessments.
One of the best ways to choose a test is to consider what gut health issues you want to be assessed. For example:
A variety of lifestyle and diet changes can help you improve your gut’s microbiome. In general, you want to promote a balanced gut and naturally improve its health.
Dr. Dhingra recommends a healthy and well-balanced diet.
“Stay away from processed foods and foods that are high in sugar. Instead, you should be eating more whole and unrefined foods rich in fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats.”
Healthy fats such as omega 3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats reduce inflammation in the gut and encourage a healthy gut flora.
Other examples of foods that balance the gut microbiome include:
According to Dr. Dhingra, the best way to naturally improve gut health is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This means having the right diet, getting quality sleep, having regular exercise, staying hydrated, and finding ways to reduce your stress.
You can also improve your gut health by:
Having variety in your meals causes the gut flora to thrive. But you can also supplement your diet with probiotics and prebiotics, says Dr. Dhingra.
“Probiotics contain live bacteria that boost the “good” kind of bacteria in your gut. You can take them as supplements or by eating fermented foods. Some of these foods include kimchi, homemade yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, and tempeh.”
Medical experts have varying opinions concerning the effectiveness of probiotics, but if you choose to try one, opt for one that is from a reputable manufacturer that offers science-backed information about the product.
Dr. Dhingra adds it’s important that you include prebiotic foods to your diet. These are fiber-rich whole foods that provide sustenance to probiotics. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds are all good sources of food for your gut microbiome.
How do you know you have an unhealthy gut? Most people take probiotics without having any known symptoms of an unhealthy gut.
This is not an entirely bad practice, but you could be wasting your money.
The good bacteria in your gut almost present no problems. They control important functions in your body and keep the bad bacteria in check. However, sometimes the bad bacteria can take over and dominate your gut.
This is where things go wrong.
When the bad bacteria take over, your gut sends a distress warning telling your body system that your gut is in bad shape. These signals usually translate to symptoms that are noticeable to most people.
Most symptoms of an unhealthy gut are usually familiar. They include:
These symptoms are common to poor gut health. If you witness any one of the symptoms, it's necessary to consult your healthcare provider.
How you deal with a gut health problem varies based on the severity of the problem. For instance, if you feel less-than-optimal and experience digestive symptoms like bloating or nausea, a few simple dietary changes can be enough to improve your gut’s microbiome.
If lifestyle and diet changes do not improve your symptoms, you should undergo a medical evaluation. It’s also important to seek medical attention if you have severe symptoms.
Long-term gut health problems put you at an increased risk of serious health issues. This includes colitis, colon polyps, cancer, and more. Many of these issues can be prevented or minimized by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, practicing good bowel habits, and getting screened for cancer.
Since these bacteria influence lots of body processes, you will benefit from keeping them healthy.
These include:
These are the rewards of a healthy gut. It's necessary to undergo a gut test to know if your gut is healthy enough. This test will determine whether you need professional help or some lifestyle changes.
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
