Would you recommend Gut Microbiome Testing?

[Kia17]

Would you recommend gut microbiome test? Please share your experiences if you have done the test.

[jimcaster]

I had testing done through Viome and was disappointed. The only thing I remember was a recommendation to avoid oranges and bananas. I'll go back and read it again, but I just remember being underwhelmed...

[Kia17 in reply to jimcaster]

Thank you Jim.

[WinnieThePoo]

I think it depends how you use it. Mine was atlas biomed. I'll do another with them in June. I also received some trite diet advice with exciting little email updates about my special foods which I ignored. However there was a sufficient raw data analysis of the bugs for my intended monitoring. It confirmed I was a work in progress back in November

[Kia17 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Thanks Poo

I am also considering Atlas Biomed.

[MBAnderson]

I had mine done by Viome and I agree with both Jim and Poo. I agree with Jim in that I expected more information, but it identified the specific bacteria I should seek to make my microbiome richer which is an important little nugget amongst all the other generic info. For me, if the money's not a concern, I'll take all the information I can get, but if the money is a concern, it's a tossup.

Being told which foods to avoid and which to pursue has to be helpful. Said I should avoid coconut products. Go figure.

[WinnieThePoo in reply to MBAnderson]

Personally I am highly sceptical of this foods to avoid or make special. Atlas don't push it in the way viome do, but peddle it nonetheless. Some of mine were comic. I'm glad to see bacon sandwiches are on my B1 menu

[Kia17]

Thank you Marc

[LAJ12345]

Hubby had one done a year ago , not Viome, and found he was almost totally devoid of bifidobacterium and not many lactobacteria either. He had been on doxycycline for years so possibly due to that. The information led him to stop doxy for rosacea , swap to a natural cure of berberine/ Allimed alternating week about with probiotics, and have been eating a diet of fibre rich prebiotic for good bacteria to live on ever since and eating kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, kefir to balance the gut biome.

You could just take those precautions just in case but there’s nothing like hard facts to encourage hard changes.

[aspergerian13 in reply to LAJ12345]

Succinct anecdote. Thank you. What lab did the assay?

[LAJ12345 in reply to aspergerian13]

It was bioscreen in Australia.

[shelly9]

Only recommendation from my test was to avoid Gluten

[tarz]

My answer might be a little different, but hopefully it might help some people. I have not had the test done, but since I haven't had a refrigerator for many years, I have consumed lots of fermented vegetarian foods and juices during my lifetime. And as you know, such fermented foods are the prime sources of the friendly bacteria known as probiotics.

These bacteria are the ones that tell your brain what to consume, to maintain proper nutrition for a healthful life. But if your body is not accustomed to friendly bacteria, and is dominated by unhealthful ones, then such a change might result in temporary symptoms of illness. Such results might possibly indicate the need of using prebiotics before advancing to the probiotic sources.

As for me, I can and do eat any kind of food without negative results (this alone tells me more than any microbiome test could), and I always seem to have the inner gut feeling telling me what to eat in moderation, in order to maintain the healthful intestinal balance. As a result, I have never in my life been overweight, and at age 75, I have always been the same weight as when I was a high school gymnast and cross-country runner.

However, in my estimation, perhaps the greatest boon to my lifestyle has been that it has permitted me to avoid for the most part, the dangers inherent in depending upon the practitioners and facilities of the modern medical establishment.

[Kia17 in reply to tarz]

Thank you Tarz

[tarz in reply to Kia17]

You are very welcome, Kia. I hope that my experiences and ideas might have served to help you in your quest for greater light, truth and understanding.

[JAS9 in reply to tarz]

Tarz, thanks for your interesting observations. Do you have any particular diet that you follow (other than "any kind of food")? Thanks again.

[tarz in reply to JAS9]

Well, JAS9, most of my life I have been eating all kinds of legumes, including garbanzos, green beans, Lentils, Peas, Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Soybeans, Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, etc. and the infinite variety of recipes and preparations in which they can be applied. Also I've always included cruciferous vegetables, whenever I could get them, such as Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Green and Red cabbage, etc.

However, along with those, there is one other ingredient, which has lately become very controversial, which has been, from the time I was a teenager, a major part of my daily diet. That is red wheat berries. At first I would just grind them (dry in a blender) and make cracked-wheat cereal. Later on I would experiment with grinding them to make experimental wheatburger and wheatloaf recipes. Then I also learned to grind and sift them to a more flour-like consistency, for making pancakes and pan-fried bread. I also use the whole wheat berry in many of the bean recipes, as an extender.

My life style has always required that I be prepared with lots of food storage. So I would go to the wheat farmers, which have been abundant in this area, and I would have them fill several 55 gallon barrels with their latest wheat harvest, which provided me with fresh, live wheat berries. And without all the middle men from farmer to retail, I saved a lot of money, and still have what I consider to be a good source of nutrition.

Don't forget that with all of these varied food dishes, there are lots of opportunities for fermentation, which I have found to be harmless and beneficial, as long as the recipes are either free from animal products, or if not, that they be reheated and cooked sufficiently to destroy any harmful bacteria.

[JAS9 in reply to tarz]

Thank you. I, too, love beans and all lentils. I also eat a lot of cruciferous vegs. In addition, I love squash and a lot of green leafy vegs. No animal products for almost 5 years now (and few before that). I eat oats every day and some whole wheat and rye. Also, some fruit and berries. A few nuts and avocados now and then, but no added oil or sugar. And, yes, I've eaten some food past its prime with no ill effects. Thanks again.

[tarz in reply to JAS9]

You're very welcome. I love fermented foods, but the orientals seem to have the oldest experience with them through their many generations. It seems to me that you have the an excellent diet. I wonder why you might be contemplating a microbiome test.

[lingfield222]

Hi Kia, my husband (with PD) has been tested by a company called Genova. Its not cheap but was hugely helpful in indicating what considerable gut imbalances he had. We did this with the guidance of a nutritionist and would have struggled to understand the results, and how to improve the situation, with out her.

I would say it has been really helpful, otherwise you are working in the dark to an extent. It has informed the supplements he is now taking and there has been a definite improvement in his digestion performance.

I/we are firm believers in tackling PD through diet, supplements and exercise for as long as possible.

He was diagnosed 2 yrs ago with a left hand tremor which was getting worse but now seems to have stabilised, though only time will tell. He's not on any meds.

[Kia17 in reply to lingfield222]

Thanks Lingfield

[Rhyothemis]

Some caveats on stool microbiome testing:

youtu.be/Wqq_j-unR0k?t=360(Not working as expected?)

[Astra7]

I had it done but a bit pointless as I havnt been willing to stick to the very rigid diet I was put on. I felt I’d rather enjoy life rather than obsess about my health while I could.

I try to eat well but do have the odd white wine and quite a bit of chocolate!

I imagine it needs to be repeated every 2 years or so.