In This Article
In This Article
When you have bloating or gas, you probably think there's something wrong with your gut.
But when you feel down or don't have the energy to get through the day, you're more likely to think it's because you lack sleep or you're having a 'bad' day.
What many people don't realize is that poor gut health can trigger all of these symptoms — and more. It doesn't just cause digestive issues. It leads to other health problems too.
If you want a healthy gut, one of the things it needs is a balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria. Studies show that gut microbiome affect your:
The Ombre Gut Health Test says it can check for gut imbalances. If you've been experiencing symptoms, it can tell you which gut bacteria is causing them.
Like many gut health tests, it provides personalized recommendations that are supposed to help restore gut balance, relieve symptoms, and improve overall health.
I wanted to see if this was true, so I decided to try it out. Here's my complete and personal Ombre Gut Health review.
Ombre (previously Thryve Gut Health) is a gut wellness company that provides gut microbiome testing kits. You can order these tests online and take them at home.
Like many at-home gut tests, Ombre measures your gut bacteria. It can tell you which specific imbalances you have, and explain how they affect your health.
You'll also get actionable steps with your gut report, including:
These steps are meant to help correct your gut imbalance and symptoms.
To order your test: Visit the Ombre website and choose between the basic Gut Health Test or the more complete Gut Health Program. Both packages include the gut testing kit.
| Sample Collection | Fecal swab |
| DNA Testing Type | Ribosomal RNA (16S RNA) |
| Speed of Test Results | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Gut Health Report | Yes |
| Food Recommendations | Yes |
| Probiotic Suggestions | Yes |
| Privacy Protection | Strong |
| Cost | Starts at $84.99 |
| Payment Plans | Yes, for purchases over $50 (Shop Pay) |
Ombre's microbiome testing kit includes:
If you buy the Ombre Gut Health Program, your kit will include one (1) month's supply of Rise Prebiotic and Ultimate Immunity. Personally, I went with the basic Ombre Gut Health Test.
Ombre offers their gut tests and supplements with one-time payment or interest-free installments via Shop Pay. The total cost will depend on how you approach the program.
You can save more money with special offers, subscriptions, and by getting 3-month supplies of Ombre supplements. Here are the costs you have to consider:
Cost: $99.99; $84.99 for Ombre subscribers
The Ombre Gut Test is the most basic and affordable option. It covers the test along with your results and personalized recommendations.
This includes foods that you should eat and probiotics that you can take.
You can buy it one-time for or pay $24.99 every 2 weeks for 2 months. You can also subscribe to Ombre and get 15% off on the tests you order.
Subscribers can choose to receive the test kit every 3 or 6 months.
Cost: $119.99 on your first purchase, then $35.99 per month for probiotics
Ombre's Gut Health Program has everything in a standard testing kit. This includes your gut health report, food suggestions, and probiotic recommendations.
You also get the following with your purchase:
The total program is valued at $189.98 and will save you $69.99 on your first purchase. But unlike Ombre's Gut Health Test, there's no payment plan available.
| 1 Month Supply with one-time purchase |
1 Month Supply with subscription |
3 Month Supply with one-time purchase |
3 Month Supply with subscription |
|
| Ombre Probiotics | $39.99 | $35.99 | $109.97 | $89.99 |
Cost: $29.99 to $39.99 per bottle
Ombre offers these probiotic supplements:
Each bottle contains 60 capsules and will last a month. These probiotics are strain-specific. Meaning, they contain probiotic strains that correct specific imbalances.
Ombre will recommend which supplements are best for you depending on your results. You can then buy them separately after receiving your gut report.
The 3-month supply of Ombre Probiotics is available for $27.49 every 2 weeks, which you have to pay for 2 months.
| 1 Month Supply with one-time purchase |
1 Month Supply with subscription |
3 Month Supply with one-time purchase |
3 Month Supply with subscription |
|
| Ombre Rise Prebiotic | $49.99 | $44.99 | $139.97 | $114.54 |
Cost: $38.18 to $49.99 per bottle
A bottle of Ombre's probiotic powder contains 30 servings, enough to last a month. You can buy a 3-month supply for $34.99 every 2 weeks for 2 months.
You will receive your personal gut report 2 to 4 weeks after sending your sample to the Ombre Lab. You can access it on https://account.ombrelab.com.
Here's what you can expect from your Ombre gut test:
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
This section contains everything you need to know about your gut microbiome, including how they affect your health (both good and bad).
Your gut score is measured on a scale of 1 to 100. It's the fastest way to tell how your gut is doing. It depends on the amount of good and bad bacteria present, including:
The higher your score, the healthier your gut. Lower scores may suggest an unhealthy gut.
If you want to regularly test your gut flora, the gut score is a quick way to compare your results and check for improvements.
This score is based on your microbial diversity or the different bacteria in your gut.
Ombre also compares your results with the average healthy population from the American Gut Project. Here’s my gut diversity score as an example:
Compared to the average American who has 83% gut diversity, I’m doing much better in this department with 95% diversity.
This section explores your unique gut environment. It can tell you:
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
Here, Ombre shows you the percentage of gut bacteria that you lack and are within optimum levels. It also summarizes which strains you need to increase or reduce.
You can click on the panel to learn more about these bacteria, their potential health benefits, and their harmful effects.
Ombre also shows your bacteria levels for each strain and compares them with the healthy average. This gives you an idea of how much work is needed to increase its levels.
Here's a sample report from my gut microbiome test. It says that I’m deficient in Lactobacillus — a beneficial bacteria and probiotic strain.
This section highlights the total number of bacteria in your gut. According to Ombre, there are 41,577 bacteria species from my sample.
Again, you can explore this panel to learn more about the specific bacteria that make up your gut. It shows you the percentage of each strain compared to the total population.
Not all strains will be added to your report. However, it does measure strains that are “statistically relevant” or have enough population to be considered accurate.
Ombre will also tell you if a bacteria is commensal, pathogenic, or a probiotic strain. If these terms confuse you, just click on the question mark (?) to see what it’s about.
An imbalanced gut can lead to various health problems. According to Ombre, some possible symptoms of gut imbalance are:
In this section, Ombre predicts which symptoms you will likely experience. It also tells you which strains of bacteria are causing your symptoms.
My report says that I easily get tired because I lack Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium.
Ombre Lab offers a personalized food plan based on your microbiome results. It gives you hundreds of ideas on what foods you should eat and avoid for a healthy gut.
These may include foods from different food groups, including:
These foods are supposed to increase the good bacteria and reduce potentially harmful bacteria in your gut.
Recommended foods come with useful facts such as:
Ombre also provides food recipes to make things easier. Each recipe idea lists down the ingredients, instructions, preparation time, cook time, and number of servings.
Ombre will suggest a probiotic supplement for your microbiome's needs. It will contain probiotic strains that are targeted for your unique gut imbalance.
These probiotics may also reduce any symptoms that you've been experiencing. If you explore your report, you can learn more about the supplement, including:
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
Weeks before taking the Ombre microbiome test, I noticed that I was unusually tired all of the time. I wasn't really sure what was going on. But I knew something was wrong.
I was getting sleep and enough meals to stay energized. So there was definitely another reason for my low energy levels.
Since I didn't have time to see a doctor, I decided to give the Ombre Gut Health Test a try.
Pros
Cons
Summary
We love Ombre because it tests for gut imbalances and explains you how they affect your health. You'll also get personalized recommendations to improve your gut and health.
1. Simple and non-invasive sample collection
Ombre's test isn't invasive or complicated. All you need is a small sample: a cotton swab covered with stool the size of a rice grain.
The boxes that come with your testing kit are numbered and printed with instructions. All you have to do is follow the steps to collect and submit your sample.
2. Science-backed test results
Ombre uses over 36,000 scientific articles to support your gut report. This includes the latest microbiome research on about 3,000 different strains of gut bacteria.
It's a great way to learn more about your gut microbiome and how they impact your health.
Ombre got most of my symptoms right. While not 100% true at the time of testing, symptoms started to show within weeks of getting my results.
3. Targeted probiotic supplements
Ombre recommends strain-specific probiotics based on your results. These supplements contain probiotic blends with clinically-proven health benefits.
Not only do they correct your unique imbalance. They can also help with your symptoms.
To illustrate, my results showed that I didn't have enough Bifidobacteria in my gut. Ombre suggested that I take the Endless Energy probiotic.
When I looked up its ingredients list, I learned that it contains 5 probiotic strains. One of which is Bifidobacterium Bifidum.
I took the probiotic they suggested for a month without making any adjustments to my diet. I wanted to see if the probiotics alone would help.
At the end of that month, I noticed that I was less tired though I still had other symptoms.
4. Comprehensive food recommendations
Ombre doesn't just tell you which foods to eat and avoid for a healthy gut microbiome. It also suggests recipes that include these gut-healthy foods.
You can use these recipes to create your own meal plan. You can exclude food items you're allergic to and make sure that you only eat foods that are compatible with your diet.
After a month of taking Endless Energy, I completely shifted my diet. I strictly followed Ombre's food suggestions and continued taking their probiotics.
I did this for another month and started feeling better overall, both physically and mentally. It really seems to work — at least, for me.
5. Affordable gut microbiome testing
As of this writing, Ombre has the most affordable at-home gut testing kit. You can buy the Ombre Gut Test for only $84.99 if you subscribe to their service.
The gut testing company also offers discounts from time to time. And the best part? You can split your payment with their installment-free plans via Shop Pay.
1. Can't tell if you have leaky gut
Ombre doesn't check for biomarkers that may suggest a leaky gut problem. If you want to find out, you may need to take another test or see your doctor.
2. Limited gut testing
Ombre's laboratory only analyzes stool samples for gut bacteria. It doesn't check for the presence of other microbes that may live in your gut.
Among the things it can't test are parasites, viruses, fungi, and yeasts. These microorganisms can also make up your gut environment.
Yes. Ombre's gut microbiome testing is accurate and safe. Here's why:
Ombre's probiotics are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You might worry of its safety, but an FDA approval isn't really necessary for this product.11
Dietary supplements are regulated in the same way as other foods. As long as you don't use them to treat any chronic illness, they should be safe to consume.
Ombre Lab isn't the only gut health company that provides at-home testing kits. Below, we compare Ombre with its top competitors.
Viome's Gut Intelligence Test is a lot like what Ombre has to offer.
Both tests use 16S RNA sequencing to analyze your gut microbiome. They also provide personalized recommendations to help improve your gut and overall health.
Viome does have more well-rounded gut supplements. Besides probiotics, they contain and multivitamins. It also lets you access test results anywhere on your phone.
While Viome tests for fungi, viruses, and parasites (one thing that Ombre can't do), it uses a lot of scientific jargon. Results are not as easy to interpret as Ombre.
Biohm is a simple microbiome test that can check your gut for bacteria and fungi. Like Ombre, it also suggests foods and other lifestyle changes that promote gut health.
It has the widest range of gut health supplements that you can choose from. These include probiotics, prebiotics, omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and more.
Biohm will tell you which supplements to take based on your results. Unfortunately, their dietary and lifestyle recommendations are not targeted to your needs.
That said, they do give you the option to discuss your test results with a nutritionist.
We tried some of the best gut testing kits and even followed their recommendations to see if they would work. Ombre by far remains to be our top pick.
Ombre is currently one of the most accurate gut tests on the market. And you can take it at home for a reasonable price.
It uses science-backed information to support your test results, so you can better understand your microbiome and its effects on your health.
Ombre doesn't stop at microbiome testing. It provides actionable insights that will allow you to restore your gut flora.
This includes probiotic supplements that are clinically supported to improve your gut and overall health. You'll also get an extensive list of gut-healthy foods and recipes.
Ombre’s Gut Health Test is an excellent choice for budget-conscious people who want value for their money.
