If you are only interested in measuring intestinal flora, our most minor test, Gut Microbiome Test Small, measures 13 different bacteria and four yeasts, including Candida albicans. Candida is a yeast fungus that has received increasing attention in recent years. Candida is found naturally in the intestine it is if it becomes overgrown, it can cause problems. Overgrowth can occur in, among other things, IBS, but in different types of intestinal imbalances, the symptoms can be similar, so it is essential to analyze. Otherwise, there is a risk that you start the wrong treatment. You will find our Candida test here if you are only interested in measuring candida and yeast overgrowth.

SIBO, which stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, means an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine that should generally have a poorer bacterial flora. It is said that about 80% of people with IBS suffer from SIBO. A breath test on seven occasions tests SIBO for 150 minutes.

Leaky gut is another area that is being talked about more and more. Leaky bowel is not in itself something you feel but can, in turn, cause problems such as allergies and food intolerances. Leaky bowel is available as a separate test and is included in the Gut Microbiome Test XL, our most comprehensive bowel test and also measures the intestinal flora, digestive functions and malabsorption, inflammatory markers and histamine via stool.

Many problems are related to the stomach area due to our diet. It may be that the diet is not sufficiently balanced, which results in a lack of essential vitamins, carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients. On the other hand, the situation may be the opposite; you ingest too much of certain substances such as sugar.

However, stomach upset can also be due to the body being intolerant to specific substances. Some common intolerances among the Swedish people are lactose, gluten and lactose. Allergy and food intolerance tests can be found here.

Lactose intolerance means that the small intestine does not have a sufficient amount of lactase. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose (or milk sugar as it is sometimes called). As a result, a large amount of milk sugar ends up directly in the large intestine, where bacteria eventually break down the milk sugar. A lactose intolerant person who ingests lactose can have several symptoms:

• Stomach pain
• Diarrhoea
• Bloated stomach

An “advantage” of lactose intolerance is that in almost all cases, it is entirely harmless. The symptoms disappear in most cases by themselves, and as long as you stay away from food with lactose, you become symptom-free. Although it is harmless, it is an unnecessary inconvenience to expose yourself to. If you suspect that you are lactose intolerant but do not want to rule out other causes, it can also mean a little peace of mind to confirm what is causing the stomach problems. The lactose intolerance test can be found here.

Gluten intolerance has some similarities with lactose intolerance but also significant differences. One similarity is that the problem occurs in the small intestine. Lactose intolerant can not break down lactose properly, but a gluten intolerant person instead has the problem that gluten directly inflames the small intestine and damages the intestinal lining that traps nutrients. This is because the body interprets gluten as a dangerous substance, which activates the immune system.

Another link between celiac disease and lactose intolerance is that temporary lactose intolerance can occur in people with gluten intolerance. As the intestinal lining of the small intestine is damaged, the ability to break down milk sugar is also damaged. A gluten intolerance test can be found here.

Symptoms of celiac disease can be:

• Diarrhoea
• Constipation
• Gasy stomach
• Pain in joints
• Rash in the mouth
• Rash on the skin
• Infertility (if you continue to eat gluten-free foods)

Fructose intolerance is not as common as gluten and lactose intolerance. One theory is that it is partly because it is not as well known and that people have not been diagnosed. However, it has not been determined. What has been established is that there are two types of fructose intolerance:

The mild form that does not require treatment

The hereditary form can be life-threatening if left untreated

Fructose is a sugar similar to lactose and requires a specific enzyme to be converted. Symptoms can be:

• Stomach cramps
• Gasy stomach
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhoea

Untreated fructose intolerance can eventually damage both liver and kidney if fructose intake continues. The best treatment is to completely exclude fructose and substances converted to fructose. Remember that sugar substitutes such as sorbitol can also cause stomach upset in many people. The fructose intolerance test can be found here.

Histamine is a substance that, in excessive amounts, leads to stomach problems for most people. However, some are more sensitive than others and, in some cases, require dietary changes to minimize the amount of histamine. Too much histamine results in so-called histamine poisoning, which manifests itself according to the following symptoms:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Stomachache
• Rash and redness
• Headache

People who suffer from some allergy tend to be extra sensitive to histamine. You can also build up a hypersensitivity by taking certain drugs or foods. General stomach problems such as IBS and Crohn’s disease are additional risk factors for high histamine sensitivity. Histamine intolerance test can be found here.