Viome

What is the gut microbiome, and why does it matter?

There are approximately 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut. They help you digest your food, produce beneficial and harmful chemicals, control infections by pathogens, regulate your immune system, and even control your emotions (ever have a gut feeling?).

These microorganisms – which make up your gut microbiome – have been implicated in maintaining optimal health, as well as many chronic conditions, including diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, coronary artery disease, psoriasis, lupus, and autism. By taking care of your 40 trillion microbe friends, you can maximize your wellness and potentially prevent disease.

Gut Microbiome Composition

Every living organism produces RNA molecules from their DNA. By sequencing all of the RNA in your stool, we can identify and quantify all of the living microorganisms in your gut (bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, archaea, fungi, yeast, parasites, and more) at the species and strain level. The end result? A higher resolution view of your gut microbiome than has ever been available before.

Metabolic Flexibility

Every person is biochemically unique. As a result, you process macronutrients – fats, protein and carbohydrates – differently than others do.

We measure your body’s response to a nutritional challenge to determine how quickly you regain your balance and how you metabolize different macronutrients. When we combine the results of this test with your Gut Intelligence™️ test results, we can provide your ideal macronutrient ratio and make dietary recommendations that are unique to you.

Gut Microbiome Gene Expression

While identifying the microorganisms in your gut is important, we gain the most insight when we can also understand their function. This is because the microbes in your gut produce thousands of chemicals, called metabolites, that affect your overall wellness. Some of these microbial metabolites can be beneficial to our health, such as vitamin B and short chain fatty acids, while others can be detrimental, such as TMAO, which causes coronary artery disease.

By analyzing the genes that your microbes express, we can identify which metabolites they produce – in other words, we can determine their role in your body’s ecosystem. By following Viome’s diet and lifestyle recommendations, you’ll be able to fine-tune the function of your gut microbiome to minimize production of harmful metabolites and maximize the production of beneficial ones.