NEW UPDATES - Gut Microbiome Testing for Your Gut Health

Your gut microbiome holds insights into your health and wellbeing. Understand your unique microbiome, how it affects your health, and how you can achieve a better balance between desirable and less desirable microorganisms in your gut. A Gut Health Dietitian explains how it all works and how to optimise it in your nutrition plan.

What is the gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome includes all the bacteria living in our gut that each have their own functions when fed properly through good nutrition. Most gut bacteria live in our intestines, but are present throughout the entire digestive system.

They are required for many processes in the body including:

• Digesting our food to make nutrients easier to access for our body to use

• Protecting against infections from harmful bacteria that may cause illness or disease

• Producing essential vitamins required for normal body functioning

Why is gut health important?

An optimal balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut is required for these functions to occur. The latest research highlights that this may even contribute to weight maintenance or weight loss. ​Because of the wealth of new research surrounding the gut microbiome, it is becoming a trendy topic and for good reason. But how exactly can you achieve a balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut microbiome to maintain good gut health? Learn more about the science behind our gut.

How can I improve my gut health?

Dietary and lifestyle modifications is the best way to improve your gut health. By implementing healthy lifestyle habits and also a gut loving diet, it can help promote diversity in the gut microbiome and support the protective barriers of the gut.

If you are looking to take a further step into your gut health journey, consider gut microbiome testing.

The aim of gut microbiome analysis is to:

• Assess your baseline: establish a detailed profile of your microbiome. Better understand the current state of your gut.

• Inform your choices: explore your personal key insights with practical dietary suggestions. Make a plan and target areas for improvement

• Monitor the impact: See the impact of changes you make and track how your microbiome shifts over time with further microbiome analysis.

  
  

Pros and Cons of Gut Microbiome Testing

The gut microbiome is a very complex organ as new research about it emerges almost daily. There is still a lot that we need to learn about it and as a result, gut microbiome tests are not perfect.

Benefits:

• Science has told us that we need more of the healthy good bacteria than the bad, the test can allow us to have an insight into the composition of your gut microbiome

• Discover your potential to breakdown nutrients

• Learn about the potential of your gut microbiome to produce substances associated with health

• Allows us to visualise the progress of your dietary and lifestyle modifications

There are also a few gaps:

• There is limited evidence on a standard reference range to determine what is a healthy or normal gut microbiome is i.e. how much of the good or bad bacteria is 'good'. (we know more 'good' bacteria is definitely better!)

• More evidence is required to understand if certain gut bacteria is associated with increased risk of certain diseases

• More evidence is required to understand if eating specific foods will improve certain gut microbes

  
  

Who may benefit from a gut microbiome test?

• You are looking to improve your gut health as part of your wellness journey

• You are curious about your gut microbiome composition

Who may not benefit from a gut microbiome test?

• You are actively receiving medical treatment such as cancer treatment or medications that can impact the gut microbiome (e.g. antibiotics, steroids)

• You are experiencing digestive symptoms that have not been investigated by a doctor yet

• You are looking to use the gut microbiome test as a diagnostic tool

I am interested in gut microbiome testing and a nutrition plan.

Four Seasons Dietetics is now offering gut microbiome testing through Microba. Our experienced dietitians have undertaken further training to ensure we can effectively interpret your results.

We are pleased to be offering this service through our signature package 'Happy Gut Program'. This includes:

• An initial 30 min consultation to understand your history and goals

• 1x follow up 45 min session including analysis of gut microbiome test and personalised nutrition plan

• 1 x Microbiome Explorer Essentials test (valued at $369)

• Add on follow up sessions are welcome if you would like to keep working with our dietitian to troubleshoot your nutrition plan.

  
  

If you are interested to know if this test is appropriate for you or not sure where to start your health journey? Book an appointment with our gut dietitian to discuss further.