Floré unveils next-generation microbiome mapping tool for gut health

13 Nov 2023 --- GI SereniT — an at-home stool test — provides clinically relevant insights into gut imbalance, microbiome diversity, pathogenic bacteria and illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The tool is available through Floré’s clinical program. 

According to the company, GI SereniT can identify and detect over 100,000 genomes and 25,000 species of organisms through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of the microbiome. The tool reveals essential information about gastrointestinal symptoms that people may suffer from, such as gas, bloating, stomach pain and constipation. 

Nutrition Insight sits down with Will Hankee, Floré’s VP of sales and business development, to discuss the new tool and its implications for gut health. 

“GI SereniT provides clinical utility to the gut microbiome as a biomarker to understand the areas of imbalance (dysbiosis),” Hankee explains. 

“With this insight, a doctor can understand the cause of the dysbiosis and implement targeted therapeutic interventions or natural solutions personalized to the patient to bring the gut into balance, improving patient outcomes.”

Nutrition and the gut 
The food that people consume does not just support human cells, emphasizes Hankee. 

“We must start to recognize that food is pre-digested or sometimes entirely digested by our gut’s microbes, which then create molecules that stimulate our immune system and intestinal tract and can have far-reaching mechanisms to our brain.” 

“The scientific literature and our data support the appropriate consumption of the three Fs — fish, fruit and fiber. However, the proper management of one’s gut must involve regular gut tests so that changes to your precision nutrition can be made based on your living microbiome,” notes Hankee.

He explains that an individual’s gut microbiota comprises thousands of organisms, making someone’s microbiome as unique as a fingerprint.

“Through whole genome sequencing, we are taking a detailed screening approach to understand the overall relative abundance of each species and their interplay with our human bodies, drawing insight into disease associations, diversity and composition.” 

Regular gut tests allow changes to someone’s precision nutrition to be made based on their living microbiome.Digestive health  
According to Hankee, 80 million people in the US are affected by digestive disease, which covers many issues. 

“Utilizing WGS of one’s microbiome offers insight into the potential drivers of complex gut health,” he explains. 

“This clinical insight and custom probiotics and prebiotics designed to bring the microbiome from a dysbiosis (out of balance) state into symbiosis (in balance) are very impactful.” 

Patients can administer the at-home stool collection and receive a microbiome assessment in five areas: wellness assessment and health scores, microbiome diversity, disease association, how someone compares and the identification of organisms in one’s microbiota. 

Based on the assessment’s results, providers of the tool can refer patients to a customized pro-/prebiotic program by Floré for three, six or 12 months. 

Earlier this year, SunGenomics — the company that owns the Floré brand — launched Floré Multi-V, a customizable multivitamin based on the needs of individuals that can make up for deficiencies and meet desired requirements. 

Personalized probiotics 
GI SereniT, the next generation of gut testing and custom probiotics, is true “personalized medicine,” asserts Hankee. The tool can address the underlying cause of disease, promote wellness and improve patient outcomes. 

“From our vantage point of having reviewed the world’s largest private metagenomics database, we envision a short-term future where the microbiome becomes that standard of care just like cholesterol, A1C or CBC counts.” 

“In the not-too-distant future, we believe the understanding of these tiny organisms within us unlocks the mysteries of our health,” Hankee continues. “Microbiome testing isn’t merely a scientific pursuit; it’s a voyage into the very fabric of our being, promising a tomorrow where diseases are not just treated but preempted.” 

Earlier this year, researchers developed a scalable tool to assess the intake of plants by sequencing DNA in stool through molecular barcodes. The study’s authors emphasized that new advances in genomics can help support nutrition research and deepen the understanding of interactions between health and diet. 

Gut-brain axis 
Expanding research on the gut-brain axis — the bidirectional communication system between the brain and digestive system — highlights the impact of a healthy gut on other health aspects. 

For example, a recently published study indicates that consuming high-dose dietary prebiotics may alter food decision-making in overweight adults. 

Moreover, a different study linked the intake of prebiotic dietary fiber to improved mood in healthy adults with mild to moderate feelings of anxiety and depression. 

By Jolanda van Hal

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