I have recently read Michael’s book Clever Guts Diet recommended by my gym buddy and decided to test my biome. I found Atlas Biomedical on the internet, a British company, and sent off for gut and DNA testing. They have a very well designed system and so far have proved very helpful, not only on the analysis but the recommendations as well.

What information do they give you exactly in terms of your gut bacteria?
Also did you get the gut microbiome test along with the DNA test they do as a bundle, or just the microbiome one if you dont mind me asking?
I recently stopped taking antibiotics after about 10 years of been off and on them for back acne so now I am very worried my bacteria will be all kinds of messed up. So I am wondering if this kind of test would be beneficial for me? Although it does say wait at least 3 months after antibiotics to take it.
Thanks

Hi ste92. The testing mechanism was very well designed and easy to use (streets ahead of the NHS one). I think it took about four weeks for the results to come through but the company keeps you advised meanwhile. The results were presented through an app for my iPad and showed areas of risk rated from high to low and what you can do to improve your diet etc. It also shows a detailed breakdown of the gut bacteria, with percentages, and advice as to where to increase or decrease these. I discovered they use a traffic light system to rate the changes needed and how these are assessed i.e. Against a cohort of data (these were not immediately obvious nor explained and in my discussions with their support team I believe they are looking to make improvements). It would be useful to retest after a period to see what may have changed. The areas looked at were bacteria diversity, vitamin levels, dietary fibre and overall health. I also took the DNA test as a package. The results took longer to appear but were then overlaid. However, I am at a loss as to what you can do with the results apart from knowing the risk factors!

Thank you for the reply. Maybe in 3 months if I can scrape the cash together I will try it too. I was thinking the DNA test looked good too but the reason I had my doubts about their products.. they seem to claim they can do food tolerance tests from the DNA pack which is from your saliva. From previous research I was under the impression that all tests like that are not reliable in anyway, similar to the hair sample test. I hope I am wrong but I am sure I have heard that only properly done blood work can give you that information.

Anyway, my point being, does that mean their tests are not as ‘reliable’ as they come across on the website…. Hopefully I am wrong of course as I would like to have some done. more so the microbiome one to start.
Does anyone else know if this is a well reviewed company?

I think there is a company mentioned in the book but I cannot remember who it is off the top of my head.
Thanks

I suspect food allergies can only be identified if they are DNA related. For example, some people smell asparagus in their urine others do not. If you are short on cash I would recommend the biome test because at least you can see what to do with the results. In Michael’s book, he mentions various companies so you could shop around. I found Atlas “user friendly ” particularly for the non medical amongst us. Their customer support was extremely good and responsive.