Why do you need to know the microflora of your intestines “by sight” and how to do it
 

Last year I wrote about why we all need to undergo a genetic test and identify our predispositions. Now you can go further and learn more about yourself, namely – “get acquainted” with the microbes that inhabit your body, find out how they affect your health and how you can improve their quality.

The number of microbes in the human body exceeds the number of cells in all our tissues by 10 times. In other words, there are a lot of them. And they are very different. Microbes perform important functions such as digesting food and synthesizing vitamins. Research has linked the microbiome (or microflora) to mood and behavior, gut health, and metabolic disorders.

A healthy human microbiome is a balanced ecosystem. Disruptions in this ecosystem can affect the development of a wide range of problems – from obesity, cardiovascular disease, blood clotting disorders to autism, increased anxiety and depression. Therefore, by analyzing the “contingent” of bacteria that inhabit our intestines, we will be able to understand what causes certain diseases and conditions and how to treat or correct them.

To do this, you need to do an analysis of the intestinal microflora and find out how it affects health and lifestyle. I passed the analysis in America at uBiome. In addition to uBiome in America, such a service is provided by Genova Diagnostics and, I’m sure, many other companies. If you decide to deal with your microflora in Russia, then I recommend Atlas and their Oh My Gut product. So far, this is the only similar product in our country.

 

The research is easy enough. You receive a self-service analysis kit and then send it to the laboratory. You also need to answer simple questions about your health and lifestyle. In the laboratory, specialists extract bacterial DNA from the sample you gave them. They identify each of the bacteria whose DNA has been obtained. It’s like examining a fingerprint.

Having received your “map” of bacteria, you can, in particular, compare these charts with charts of different groups: vegetarians and supporters of other types of diet, people who use antibiotics, who are obese, alcoholic, healthy people, etc. It is very important to understand that full medical advice on the prevention and treatment of diseases based on the analysis of the intestinal microflora can only be given by a doctor, so for an explanation it is worth contacting a specialist of the company or your doctor.

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