Thorne’s at-home Gut Health Test utilizes the most advanced gut-microbiome sequencing technology – paired with a patent-pending microbiome wipe – to provide answers about your gut. It is time to stop thinking that excessive gas or bloating is normal, or that having irregular bowel movements will correct itself. Use this Thorne test to get answers to your health concerns and to know how to resolve your gut issues. Support your metabolism, brain health, energy levels, mood, and immune function from the inside-out.

What will you learn?

Thorne’s Gut Health Test provides personalized insights based on the test’s findings. The metagenomic sequencing used in the test allows for in-depth analysis of every microorganism found in your test sample – down to the strain level. This next-generation sequencing technology identifies and counts the bacteria, viruses, parasites, archaea, fungi, and yeast in your gut, providing a complete snapshot of your gut’s ecosystem. And using artificial intelligence the effects of these microorganisms and the metabolites they produce are being captured and reported to you.

At the top of your report, you will learn when a pathogen is detected in your sample or if you had more than a normal amount of human DNA in your sample. Both of these factors could provide an immediate explanation of adverse GI symptoms that you might be experiencing and will tell you if further testing is necessary.

From there, the test results focus on the five pillars of gut health: Digestion, Inflammation, Gut Dysbiosis, Intestinal Permeability, and Enteric Nervous System Balance. You will learn if you have an abundance of genes known to increase ammonia production, which can decrease your digestive capability, or an abundance of genes that produce calprotectin – a protein that causes inflammation and can cause intestinal permeability.

Also noted in your scores will be the volume of gram-negative bacteria that have lipopolysaccharide endotoxins in their cellular membranes, a known cause of inflammation. Your Gut Dysbiosis score calculates your gut microbial balance by looking at the “good” and “bad” bacteria present. And the Enteric Nervous System Balance reflects your gut-brain axis and how your microbiome is affecting your brain, and your brain’s impact on your microbiome.

Discover how your gut health compares to the gut health of other adults with these scores.

1. Beta-diversity

Although most tests provide an alpha diversity score, which only reflects how many different types of bacteria you have present, this Thorne test reports the superior metric beta-diversity – both the number of different bacteria and their quality. Lower beta-diversity scores are associated with a lower risk for chronic health conditions.

2. Immune Readiness Score

70% of the immune system is derived from the gut. You want a gut microbiome that helps maintain your gut lining, regulates your immune function, ramps up your immune system when it detects foreign invaders like viruses, parasites, or bacteria, and adequately returns to normal afterward. This score lets you know if your gut is ready if you become infected.

3. Good, Bad, and Conditional Bacteria

From thousands of read-outs in your gut, we highlight 12 beneficial, 18 harmful, and six conditional bacteria that you will want to know your levels of. The “good” bacteria are helping your metabolism, immune function, and energy production, while reducing your risks for chronic disease, while the “bad” bacteria have associations with illness and adverse health symptoms. Our list of “conditional” bacteria depends on you – when you complete your health profile, you will see those microorganisms that you want high levels of, low levels of, or levels somewhere in the middle, depending on your current health and wellness.

4. Short-Chain Fatty Acids

The bacteria in the gut generate these highly beneficial metabolites – they provide anti-inflammatory effects, improve gut motility, improve gut permeability, and lower intestinal lumen pH. With their clear beneficial associations to good health – and perhaps one of the hottest topics in gut health – you will want to know the level of your short-chain fatty acids and begin to optimize them immediately.  

5. Micronutrients

The bacteria in your gut can produce B vitamins. In this section of your test results, you will learn your capability to make folate, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, as well as finding out if your gut is helping you reach your daily needs for these nutrients – or if your daily diet and supplement routine needs to be reworked.  

6. Total Fungi

This score helps you understand your risk for a fungal infection based on the amount of fungi in your sample compared to healthy microbiome samples. A higher Total Fungi score indicates a greater risk for Candida or other fungal infections.

7. Probiotics

Thorne has compiled a long list of probiotic strains that you want to be in your gut. Use this list to verify that the probiotic supplement you’re taking now is showing up in your gut, or find out which strains you are low in and which strains you should be supplementing with. All probiotics in this list are commercially available and beneficial to your health and wellness, and can be increased with the proper prebiotic and probiotic supplements.

Your report will also include precise lifestyle and dietary recommendations curated by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Thorne has the world’s largest microbiome platform, optimized with trained and validated algorithms that analyze your gut ecosystem compared to others and, with that knowledge, it will provide the best options to improve your gut status.

Your Gut Health Test recommendations will help you fix and optimize your scores by letting you know which specific prebiotics and probiotics to consume, as well as the foundational nutrients that will support the structure and function of your GI tract. We recommend following your plan for at least 30 days, but preferably for 60-90 days. Then you can re-test to track your progress and determine that your lifestyle changes are positively impacting your gut health and symptoms.

Who can benefit from a Thorne Gut Health Test? 

Although most individuals might think that only those who are suffering GI-related issues would benefit from a microbiome test, a gut imbalance can affect your entire body. Individuals experiencing issues with cognitive function, focus, memory, energy levels, sports performance, metabolism, body weight, skin health, or having a chronic health condition that requires multiple antibiotics or prescription medications need to be aware of their gut health.

This Thorne test is a must for individuals who are experiencing microbiome-related symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, excessive gas or belching, fatigue, acne, mood swings, anxiety or depression, or those who want to know the effect their lifestyle is having on their health. 

How to get started

Thorne’s Gut Health Test only requires a small stool sample. Your test kit includes all the necessary aids and instructions for proper sample collection in the comfort of your home bathroom. First complete your health profile in your Thorne account, and then collect and return your sample using the pre-paid shipper through a U.S. Postal Service mailbox.

Your results will populate in your personal profile in about five weeks. And because this test analyzes the DNA from your sample, your report reflects the true ecosystem in your gut, rather than just capturing what trigger foods might have affected you recently. Your results will provide a stable and comprehensive picture of your gut’s community and will give you the knowledge to support full-body health changes for the better.