At-home gut microbiome tests are trending, selling insights to the curious, empowerment to the chronically ill and a claimed path to longevity to the wellness-conscious.

Private companies are offering tests, costing $100 to $500 or more, that promise a bacterial inventory of your intestines.

But can microbiome tests actually provide actionable health information?

As more patients arrive at doctors appointments with results in hand, frustrated gastroenterologists want people to know the tests have limits.

There's a world in your gut and we still don't know a lot about it

Inside our intestines, entire ecosystems of bacteria help us digest our food, absorb key vitamins, combat inflammation and much more. Research shows a healthy gut microbiome may play a role in preventing things like li

See Full Page