"Scientists have long known that vast colonies of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms—a population collectively called the microbiome—live on and inside the human body. But how they influenced our health was long a mystery. In just the past few years, we've learned that myriad factors, from the food that we consume to the amount of time that we spend sleeping to our genes to our home, all affect our microbiome."
"The gut microbiome has been linked, at least in the public imagination, to the idea that you can improve a whole range of conditions through diet and lifestyle change, says Diane Hoffman, a co-author of the study and a health law professor at the University of Maryland. There's been a lot of hype around that, but the hype doesn't really match the evidence."
"According to Hoffman and her co-authors, at-home microbiome tests straddle the line between medical and wellness products, placing them in a legal gray area. Currently, there are no approved microbiome diagnostic tests for clinical use in the U.S."
The microbiome—vast colonies of bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms living in and on the human body—has become central to wellness culture. Recent scientific discoveries show that diet, sleep, genes, and environment all affect the microbiome, which influences immunity, digestion, aging, and emotions. This has driven explosive growth in at-home microbiome testing as a billion-dollar industry. However, a new study in Communications Biology questions the accuracy of these tests' claims. Researchers note that while the public believes microbiome testing can improve various conditions through diet and lifestyle changes, the hype significantly exceeds available evidence. At-home microbiome tests occupy a legal gray area between medical and wellness products, with no approved diagnostic tests for clinical use in the U.S.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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