Why We’re Unique
Diversity is Key
When talking about diversity in an ecological setting, there are two types of diversity: alpha- and beta-diversity. In ecology, alpha-diversity refers to the average diversity of species in a particular ecosystem. This marker reflects your own personal species diversity within your gut microbiome – aka how many different types of bacteria that are present. A robust number of bacterial species is linked to better health and a more resilient microbiome, which is why alpha-diversity is a key factor when assessing overall health and longevity.
Beta-diversity is the variation of species when comparing two separate ecosystems. This marker reflects the overall diversity of your gut microbiome as compared to a healthy population. This is an important reference marker because you could have great diversity within your own microbiome, but you could have low beta-diversity when compared with healthy populations. This would indicate that microbial diversity should be a priority for you going forward. Taking a closer look at your keystone species can provide useful insight into improving your beta-diversity. The goal is never perfection but progress.
Looking at your Microbiome’s Resilience
The Resistome Occurrence Index is a measure of richness and stability within your gut microbiome. It is also a measure of the overall resilience and strength of the microbiome. In the microbiome, bacteria can produce natural anti-microbials and chemicals to compete with one another through a process called competitive exclusion. A low index suggests that you have low richness and resilience in your gut. A stronger and more diverse gut microbiome will be more resilient against gut-damaging factors. The more resilient your microbiome becomes, the more it can withstand healthy competition amongst a variety of bacterial and fungal species. If there is insufficient competition within the gut microbiome, this can indicate that the ecology of the gut is out of balance. Just as a sailboat cannot sail without the resistance of the wind, the gut microbiome cannot function to protect the human host without healthy microbial competition in the gut.
How to Address Gut Infections
BiomeFx analyzes over 25 pathogens and measures their relative abundance as a percentage of your entire microbiome. This is different from traditional stool tests looking for any detectable number of pathogens present. While it isn’t uncommon to have a small number of pathogens present in your microbiome, the relative abundance in proportion to your other bacteria is what’s important. A strong microbiome is equipped with both strong competition among species and resilient keystone strains to maintain a healthy environment. This healthy competition is just one of the factors that helps to keep pathogens in check.
By evaluating multiple aspects of microbial balance, strength, and resilience, BiomeFx is able to provide a customized plan to re-balance pathogen occurrence. It is also worth noting that older technologies have a high rate of false positives when it comes to pathogen detection due to the limitations of their sequencing methods. This is just part of the reason why whole genome sequencing is the most accurate technology on the market.
How your Microbiome Functions
We have co-evolved with microbes in our gastrointestinal tract for millions of years, and during that time, a symbiotic relationship has developed. The interaction between the microbial populations and human metabolic processes is one of great scientific interest. Linking the bridge between bacterial populations and human health is at the forefront of creating our wellness kit.
Researchers are beginning to understand how the microbiome influences hormone balance, neurotransmitters, autoimmunity, detoxification, digestion, and disease risk. One of the most unique aspects of BiomeFX is the ability to evaluate the influence of the gut microbiome on disease risk. With the most robust database of healthy samples, BiomeFx can help you identify early deviation from a healthy population.