Gut Microbiome Test Medium

Gut Microbiome Test Medium – a thorough analysis of your gut flora

Our Medium Gut Microbiome Test measures in addition to the markers found in Gut Microbiome Test Small, also the bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila, which have been found to be extremely important for obesity, type-2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Studies have shown low levels of Akkermansia muciniphila occur in overweight or obese people, type-2 diabetes, inflammatory conditions and a weak immune system. By measuring your gut flora, you will find out how to build your health from within.

Another bacterium that often occurs in too low levels in people with intestinal diseases is Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (FP). Testing Faecalibacterium prausnitzii can act as a biomarker to help in the diagnosis of various intestinal diseases. It is common for overweight people to have a low-grade inflammation in the body and this is often related to a low incidence of Akkermansia muciniphila. Therefore, it is good to measure both of these two bacteria in combination with the other most well-known and most common bacteria measured in our test.

Who would benefit for this test?

This is for you who want in-depth analysis of your gut flora, either because you want to optimize your health or you already have a problem that you think has a connection to the gut. Examples of such can be obesity, type-2 diabetes or various types of gut disorders. If you want to do a more comprehensive analysis that also measures  digestive functions, leaky gut and more, have a look at Gut Microbiome Test Large or Gut Microbiome Test XL. Only in the last years has research begun to see the links between leaky gut and a number of different diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, allergies, fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome and asthma. Therefore, it is very important to continuously review how your gut is doing with tests to prevent any future health problems.

Intestinal flora and obesity

Research has shown that there is a strong link between our bacterial flora and obesity, and specifically the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. It has been possible to successfully transfer feces from thin people to overweight people, which has led to weight loss. An gut flora test can thus provide the answers to the reason behind overweight and the solution on how to reverse this issue. It is important to bear in mind, however, that this does not mean that all people who are overweight have an imbalanced gut flora. Thyroid problems and poor diet can be some other causes of obesity.

Akkermansia muciniphila

Akkermansia muciniphila has become known for four reasons so far: its importance in obesity; type-2 diabetes; its effect on the intestinal mucosa; as well as its role in inflammation in the body (Brahe, LK et al., 2015), (Zhang, X. et al., 2013), (Yassour, M. et al., 2016), (Li, J. et al. , 2017), (Liu, R. et al., 2017). Research shows that people with metabolic diseases such as obesity and type-2 diabetes have lower levels of Akkermansia muciniphila than thin people or people that don’t have diabetes. Strengthening the intestinal mucosa can lead to less inflammation and a better immune system, as the intestinal mucosa has the function of preventing bacteria and other harmful substances from penetrating the intestinal mucosa and entering the bloodstream.

Measuring your intestinal flora can thus be of significance, not only for gut diseases but also for problems such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is the most important producer of butyric acid found in our gut. Butyric acid is known to protect against colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Christl et al., 1996; Archer et al., 1998). It can also reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa (Inan et al., 2000).

Inflammatory bowel disease is sometimes referred to as IBS or IBD and is a collective noun for diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has been considered a bioindicator for our health, as when the amount of the bacteria decreases, inflammatory processes increase.

Gut Microbiome Medium analyzes the following 15 gut flora bacteria:

• Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
• Akkermansia muciniphila
• Bifidobacterium
• Lactobacillus
• Clostridium
• Klebsiella
• Escherichia coli
• Escherichia coli Biovare
• Proteus
• Pseudomonas
• Enterobacter
• Serratia
• Hafnia
• Enterococcus
• Bacteriodes

The test analyzes the following 4 yeasts:

• Candida
• Candida albicans
• Yeast (positive or negative)
• Geotrichum candidum

The test also analyzes:

• The pH value

About the test

The test is a stool test that you perform at home and which you then send to our lab for analysis. In your order, you will receive a test kit with everything you need to complete the test. You will receive your answer digitally.