Gut Microbiome Health Test

Gut microbiome testing is a process that analyses the microorganisms (good and bad bacteria, fungi, and viruses) living in your digestive tract. A gut microbiome test provides insights into the diversity and composition of your gut microbiota and its role in how they may impact digestion, immunity, and overall health.

Our test requires swabbing a used piece of toilet paper after passing a stool which can be done at home. The sample is then sent to our lab who analyse it to identify certain microorganisms, their types and quantities to create a complete picture of your microbiome health.

Want to know exactly what the results will tell you? Take a look at our full report that comes with every gut microbiome test.

A gut microbiome test can provide helpful insights into your gut health by measuring a number of different types of bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract.

Your results will tell you which bacteria types are present in your gut and their overall balance and numbers and what this may mean for your health.

The results will also provide you with wider context and insights into whether elevated or reduced numbers of certain bacteria may be associated to any conditions or known symptoms based on current research.

For example, reduced Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium, plus altered Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios, are often seen in IBS patients. (PMC)

The report will also provide you with gut friendly foods that can help to improve your overall gut health.

It is important to note that the results are not intended to be a diagnosis, instead, a gut microbiome test can help guide further questions, testing and discussions with a medical professional and offer clues about possible underlying issues.

Our test kit and platform have been used in a number of clinical studies, one of which significantly improved symptoms in IBS patients in a 6 week period - TandF

Our results provide personalised recommendations on dietary fibre intake and probiotic/prebiotic supplementation.

Fibre intake
While microbiome changes appear rapidly, many people report improved digestion, more regular stools, and reduced bloating typically within 2–4 weeks of consistently higher fiber intake​- PMC

Probiotics
A 4-week trial of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v showed a reduction in abdominal pain and bloating compared to placebo by week 4 (78.1 % rated their symptoms “good” or “excellent”)​ - PubMed

Eating a diet rich in whole foods, leafy greens, fibre, lean protein and prebiotic rich foods can help to increase your gut health naturally. The ultimate goal of a gut microbiome test is to improve the diversity within your gut, however this can be done without testing by incorporating foods known to improve gut health into your diet such as the above foods. For more foods, take a look at our comprehensive list of foods that are good for gut health.

There are a number of other well known comprehensive stool tests in the UK such as the Gi Map Test which also comes with interpreted and personalised results.

Whilst the gut microbiome test can provide you with detailed insights into your gut health and shed light on which bacteria within your gut may be linked to certain conditions or symptoms, it is not intended to be a diagnosis. Ultimately, a gut microbiome test can help guide further questions, testing and discussions with a medical professional and offer clues about possible underlying issues.

The test cannot identify parasites, to ensure parasites are not present in your stool, we recommend taking the gut parasite test which can be taken alongside our gut microbiome test.

Our test is £299 and includes a full detailed report and analysis. We do not charge a subscription fee.

Your tests results will be ready in 3-5 weeks depending on findings. We will email you as soon as our lab has completed your test results.

No, nutrition during pregnancy is more important than ever, we do not recommend making any major adjustments to diet and lifestyle during this time. It is also common for symptoms such as acid reflux, indigestion, tiredness, sickness, weight gain, sleep disturbances to arise during pregnancy.

Anyone over the age of 18 months old can take the test.

Simply swab a piece of used toilet paper and follow the steps detailed in our instruction leaflet to return it to our lab. We will send you everything you need to take the test.

Step-by-step instructions will also be included in your test kit.

No, do not fast before you take the test. To get the best understanding of your health you should eat and live as normal so we can get a true picture of your normal microbiome health.

The NHS do not currently offer gut microbiome testing.

Whilst there is no definite "optimal" gut microbiome score, it is largely accepted that the gut microbiome can have a huge influence on our overall health.

Practising good gut health is something that should be adopted long term, testing can help you track and monitor your gut health as well as providing you with valuable insights along the way.

Your test results will be interpreted by one of our healthcare professionals, however we do offer the option to book a call with one of our nutritionists.

Based on your microbiome's diversity, test results and current research of how various foods affect different gut bacteria, a personalised food list specific to your microbiome composition will be provided. This list will include gut friendly foods that will nourish and encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Our partner labs provide microbiome testing worldwide, to the highest clinical accreditation. We use market leading NGS-based shotgun metagenome sequencing to ensure accuracy and reliability in all our reporting.