2468: Q&A - The Gut Microbiome - What is the Recent Research & Analyzing Your Gut Health with Tests

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[00:01:08] Episode 2468 and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition and more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you.

[00:01:24] And with that, let's hear today's question as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email. Brad writes, Hey Dr. Neal, I was wondering if you could revisit the topic of the microbiome, the recent research surrounding it and the benefits and disadvantages of tests

[00:01:46] promising to analyze one's gut health. I have been researching and considering purchasing a test to better understand my gut health, which foods my body would prefer me not to eat as well as what food, vitamins, etc. may be missing from my diet. Any insight would be great.

[00:02:03] Love the show and your consistency and consideration you provide in the commentaries. Thank you so much Brad for taking the time to send in your question. I'm thrilled that you enjoy the podcast and find it so helpful. When it comes to the microbiome, one of the

[00:02:18] biggest challenges when studying it is actually trying to define it. Even those that specialize in studying it aren't really sure how to define it or even what to call it. Some use the term microbiota as a synonym for the microbiome, but technically they're different. What we can agree

[00:02:35] on is that first, what we're talking about are the good bacteria found in the gut. And again, we're talking about lots of them. It's estimated that each person has anywhere from 10 to 100 trillion of these good bacteria in our intestines. And again, these are good bacteria,

[00:02:55] meaning they keep us healthy. What's amazing is that each person's microbiome is different. There are lots of different strains or species of these good bacteria within each person, but in different quantities. It's believed that there are at least 400 different species

[00:03:13] of these good bacteria within each person. Now it's these different quantities that makes everyone's microbiome unique to each person. Now researchers can agree that it's always a good idea to try to preserve the health of your gut. Basically, try and have lots and lots of

[00:03:31] these good bacteria floating around at all times. Now what if there was some way for us to know what our microbiome is made of, meaning how many good bacteria and which specific species of good

[00:03:45] bacteria there are in our gut? Would that be useful? Would this information even be accurate? Well, that's basically what Brad was asking. So let's find out. Now some doctors have ways

[00:03:57] to test for all of this. And there are even tests that you can buy for use at home, all with the aim of determining what your gut microbiome is composed of.

[00:04:06] Now the way these tests work is that they analyze your fecal matter, also known as stool. It's estimated that just one gram of stool contains 100 billion microbes. So by sending the lab a small sample

[00:04:21] of stool, they can supposedly detect what your microbiome is made of. But the problem with these gut microbiome tests is that they're really, really new. This means that yes, labs may be able to guesstimate the number and types of good bacteria in your gut. But

[00:04:38] interpreting this information and providing recommendations based on these results is another issue altogether. One problem is that there aren't any established reference ranges. Let me give you an example. Say you go to the doctor and you get a blood test. When the results of the test

[00:04:56] comes back, your doctor may say something like, you're doing great. Your cholesterol levels are looking really good. Now how does the doctor actually know that your cholesterol levels are good? Well, there are established reference ranges. You've probably seen these ranges before. When you get

[00:05:14] the results of the lab tests, have you ever seen that extra column that tells you what the normal value should be? These are the reference ranges. When your values fall above or below these reference ranges, the doctor will provide guidance about how to get your lab values

[00:05:31] back within these reference ranges. Now the trouble with these new gut microbiome tests is that there aren't any of these reference ranges. Health professionals may not be sure then how to interpret these results. For example, the results of these gut microbiome tests may

[00:05:48] tell us which species of good bacteria are found in your gut. But doctors may not know what each specific species of bacteria are responsible for and how many you should actually have. Which ones actually help with promoting the health of the immune system? Which ones help us better

[00:06:05] digest foods we eat? How do different species of bacteria interact and help each other? All of this information is totally unclear at this point. Oh, and the other problem is that our gut microbiome is constantly changing. The number and species of good bacteria change

[00:06:21] all the time. And if that weren't enough, finally health professionals aren't even sure whether our stool is the most accurate representation of our microbiome. So what we do know at this point

[00:06:36] is that the good bacteria in our gut promote health that we can agree on. But how many of each species we need, understanding how each species interacts, what each are responsible for and

[00:06:49] so on is still a complete mystery. So here's the bottom line Brad. Most health experts agree that for now, save your money on these microbiome tests until we know more about how to interpret

[00:07:01] these results. The same goes for knowing which foods are better for your body to consume. We simply don't know based on these types of tests. When it comes to getting your other lab values within the normal reference ranges, well that can require certain medications or

[00:07:18] supplements or changes to your diet and that can be discussed with your doctor. Thank you so much for the question Brad. Now if you want to send me a question and have it answered right here

[00:07:32] on the show, you can email one to health at oldpodcast.com. We'll even give you a copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook just for submitting a question. Or if you want your

[00:07:45] voice played on an episode come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. Right on that page you can record straight from your computer's microphone. It's really easy and you can even play back your

[00:07:58] message and do retakes before sending it in. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 161. I love OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. All right that's another

[00:08:18] Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your Optimal Life awaits.