What the test measures
A modern UK microbiome test sequences bacterial DNA from a small stool sample and reports four things: overall diversity (how many different species are present and how evenly), balance between broad bacterial groups, the abundance of specific beneficial species such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila, and markers linked to potentially harmful overgrowth. Better panels also infer functional capacity — short-chain fatty acid production, bile acid handling and fibre fermentation.
Our Gut Microbiome and Health Profile test (£380) covers diversity, a gut balance score, beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria, gut-brain and immunity-related markers, and personalised nutrition recommendations.
The Dr Vahe Longevity Assessment is a preventative health and wellness service. The Blood Age Score and biological-age estimate are tools to communicate and track your health, not a medical diagnosis. This service does not replace NHS screening programmes or care from your GP. Results are interpreted by a GMC-registered doctor.
How to read your report
- Diversity percentile — a relative score against a reference population. Low diversity is associated with metabolic and inflammatory conditions, but it is a signal to investigate, not a verdict.
- Dysbiosis or balance score — a composite of ratios between groups. Interpret it with symptoms and blood markers, not on its own.
- Named species — most useful as a target for dietary change. Fibre variety, polyphenols and fermented foods reliably shift several of them.
- Functional predictions — inferred from genes present, not directly measured metabolites. Treat as a hypothesis.
Where microbiome testing is genuinely useful
We reach for it when there is a clinical question: persistent bloating or irregular bowels, poor response to a sensible diet, unexplained fatigue, raised hs-CRP without another cause, or after a significant course of antibiotics. Paired with the blood markers in the Dr Vahe Longevity Assessment it often explains why an inflammatory or metabolic marker is not moving.
The Dr Vahe Longevity Assessment is a preventative health and wellness service. The Blood Age Score and biological-age estimate are tools to communicate and track your health, not a medical diagnosis. This service does not replace NHS screening programmes or care from your GP. Results are interpreted by a GMC-registered doctor.
Its limits — stated plainly
Sequencing is sensitive to sampling, transit time and the laboratory's reference database, so two kits can disagree at species level. There is no single agreed definition of a "healthy" microbiome, and few interventions have been shown in randomised trials to change hard outcomes by changing composition. That is why we use the report to guide nutrition and further work-up rather than to make claims about disease risk.
What we do with the results
Your report is read alongside your history, bloods and, where relevant, your Blood Age Score. Typical actions are a structured fibre and fermented-food plan, targeted removal of a likely trigger, correcting an underlying deficiency found on blood work, referral for breath testing when small intestinal overgrowth is suspected, and a repeat sample at three to six months to see whether the pattern has shifted.
The Dr Vahe Longevity Assessment is a preventative health and wellness service. The Blood Age Score and biological-age estimate are tools to communicate and track your health, not a medical diagnosis. This service does not replace NHS screening programmes or care from your GP. Results are interpreted by a GMC-registered doctor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a gut microbiome test cost in the UK?
Consumer stool tests in the UK typically run from around £100 to £400 depending on sequencing depth and whether a clinician interprets the report. Our Gut Microbiome and Health Profile test is £380 and includes doctor-led interpretation alongside your wider blood work at Dr Vahe Clinic in Chelsea.
How does a gut microbiome test work?
You collect a small stool sample at home using the supplied kit and return it by post. The laboratory sequences bacterial DNA in the sample to estimate which species are present and in what proportion, then reports diversity, balance, and specific beneficial or potentially harmful groups.
Is a gut microbiome test worth it?
It is most useful when there is a question to answer — persistent bloating, irregular bowels, unexplained fatigue, a poor response to dietary change, or a raised inflammatory marker on blood work. As a standalone curiosity test its findings are harder to act on, which is why we interpret it alongside blood markers and your history rather than in isolation.
Can a microbiome test diagnose SIBO or IBS?
No. A stool test can show patterns that raise or lower suspicion, but SIBO is assessed with breath testing and IBS is a clinical diagnosis made after excluding other causes. A microbiome report is an input to that assessment, not a diagnosis.
How should I prepare for a stool test?
Follow your usual diet in the week before sampling so the result reflects normal life. Where clinically appropriate, testing is generally deferred for around four weeks after a course of antibiotics; discuss timing, probiotics and any regular medication with your doctor before collecting the sample.
Can I change my gut microbiome?
Composition shifts within days of a sustained dietary change, though longer-term stability takes months. Fibre diversity, fermented foods, adequate protein, sleep and reduced alcohol are the levers with the most consistent supporting evidence.
Test your gut alongside your bloods
At Dr Vahe Clinic in Chelsea, the microbiome profile is read by a GMC-registered doctor together with your blood markers, so the plan reflects the whole picture.
Related guides
Guide · Nutrition & inflammation
Anti-inflammatory foods and your biological age
Diet, hs-CRP and the inflammatory pillar of the Blood Age Score — with clear answers to the "is X inflammatory?" questions patients ask most.
Guide · Longevity
How to lower your biological age
The interventions that most consistently move biomarker age — sleep, nutrition, training, metabolic health, hormones and targeted therapies.