I’ve been working on the gut microbiome for over fifteen years, and in that time, technology and our understanding has come on in leaps and bounds.
So, today, I’d like to share with you why I’m so excited about the world-leading technology that I’m using in my research and at ZOE, and how gut microbiome testing works.
Before I get too technical, let’s consider why we should all care about our gut microbiomes at all, and so about the ever evolving field of gut microbiome testing.
The science of the gut microbiome is still relatively young. Most scientists and doctors – including myself – didn’t pay much attention to the microbes in our gut until advances in DNA sequencing technology revealed their amazing capabilities. Around twenty years ago, less than 1 percent of bugs were able to be reviewed by painstakingly growing them in a petri dish.
Photo by CDC
Since then, we’ve learned a huge amount about the importance of our microbial passengers. They play a central role in our health, from our immune system to our metabolism, fighting cancer and even our mental health.
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