Gut and microbiome
Stool and breath tests you do at home. They measure bacterial composition, yeasts and fungi, digestive performance, barrier function and inflammation markers in the gut — with the laboratory's reference range for every value.
You collect the sample yourself; no blood is needed. Stool and urine analyses usually take 7 to 21 days from the arrival of the sample. Every analysis includes a free results consultation.
Full stool profiles
When the question is still open, a profile covers several areas at once: microbiome, barrier, digestive performance. Yeasts and fungi are included in the microbiome profiles.
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StuhlHistamine and gluten
For a specific question, a single test is often enough. These three cover reactions to food components.
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Stool and blood
StuhlSmall bowel, IBS, gut–brain axis
Each of these tests covers one narrowly defined question.
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StuhlParasites and worms
After travelling, or with persistent symptoms and nothing found. Results belong in a doctor's hands.
Darmvorsorge
The Colosafe test adds to the statutory bowel cancer screening, it does not replace it. Colonoscopy remains the standard.
What a stool analysis can measure
Which of these markers are included is stated on each product page. No test includes them all.
| Bereich | Marker | What the value tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Microbiome | Bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, Bacteroides, clostridia | Composition and relative amounts of the gut bacteria compared with the reference range. |
| Yeasts and fungi | Candida, Geotrichum | Amount of yeast in the stool. Small amounts are normal — in many people yeasts are part of the gut flora. |
| Stool environment | pH value, consistency | Whether the gut environment is acidic or alkaline; pointers to transit time. |
| Digestive performance | Fat, nitrogen, sugar in the stool | Residues in the stool show how completely food components were broken down and taken up. |
| Enzymes | Pancreatic elastase, bile acids | Whether pancreatic digestive enzymes and bile acids are present in the expected amounts. |
| Barrier | Zonulin, alpha-1 antitrypsin | Markers involved in regulating the tight junctions between the gut epithelial cells. |
| Inflammation | Calprotectin | A pointer to inflammatory processes in the gut lining. A raised value should be checked by a doctor. |
| Mucosal immunity | Secretory IgA (sIgA) | An antibody of the gut lining involved in regulating contact between the immune system and the microbiome. |
A value outside the reference range is a pointer, not a diagnosis. What it means in your situation is something for the results consultation and for your doctor.
The evidence on the four most common questions
Barrier, histamine, yeasts and microbiome are the areas people ask about most. For all four the research is mixed — that belongs in the answer, not in the small print.
Raised zonulin values have been found in coeliac disease, type 1 diabetes and inflammatory conditions. In coeliac disease they fall on a gluten-free diet, in step with the inflammation markers. Critics regard the measurement as questionable outside an established gastroenterological condition.
Studies in affected people and healthy controls suggest that the blood values are comparable. Using DAO-specific antibodies, DAO could not be detected in any notable amount in serum, but was found in kidney, gut and placenta. Copper, vitamin B6 and vitamin C are cofactors of the enzyme; alcohol, smoking and certain medicines inhibit it.
In the gut, Candida lives in the lumen and — unlike in the mouth or genital area — usually does not penetrate the lining. It becomes serious when the immune system is severely weakened, for example during chemotherapy or after a transplant; treatment then belongs in medical hands. The so-called “Candida syndrome”, offered as an explanation for a wide range of non-specific symptoms, is not an established diagnosis.
High diversity is regarded as favourable because it makes functional redundancy more likely: key tasks still get done when something is disturbed. Valid clinical biomarkers for assessing dysbiosis diagnostically are still missing.
A measured value with a reference range is more than a guess, even if on its own it is not a diagnosis. It becomes the starting point for a conversation and for a second measurement a few months later. That is why every analysis here comes with a results consultation — and why this page also says what a value cannot do.
From kit to results consultation
- 01 Kit arrives or collect it Dispatch the next working day, or collection at the practice in Berlin.
- 02 Collect the sample at home Instructions are included. Please read them first — some tests have rules about food or medication.
- 03 Send it in Return envelope included, postage within Germany is paid. Post it Monday to Thursday.
- 04 Lab report and consultation 7 to 21 days from the arrival of the sample. The results consultation by phone or at the practice is included, and you book the time.
Often ordered after
Whether one of these is right for you is something for the results consultation. This page recommends nothing.
Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Do I need a doctor for this?
No. The test set comes by post, or you collect it at the practice, and you take the sample at home. If you are not sure which set fits your question, we sort that out in the free initial consultation.
Does this replace seeing a doctor?
No. Acute or persistent symptoms belong in a medical practice. The results can be helpful for further investigation; they do not take its place.
Is there a standalone Candida or fungal test?
No, and there is a reason: yeasts are found in the stool of 20 to 80 per cent of healthy adults. A finding on its own therefore says little. Candida and Geotrichum are measured within the microbiome profiles — there the value sits alongside the rest of the flora and can be interpreted.
Anything to note when collecting the sample?
Yes. Each test set has its own instructions, some with rules about food, antibiotics or probiotics in the days before. Read them before you collect the sample.
How long until the result?
The evaluation takes 7 to 21 days from the arrival of the sample at the laboratory — not from the order. Exactly how long depends on the method: sequencing the gut flora takes longer than a measurement from capillary blood.
Do I get help understanding the results?
Yes, every analysis includes a free results consultation, by phone or at the practice. You book the appointment by phone or email.
Can I order a test for someone else?
Yes. The request form must carry the details of the person being tested: name, date of birth and phone number. Please correct anything already entered.
Which analysis fits my question?
If the question is open, a profile covers several areas. If it is narrowed down — histamine, gluten, small intestine, parasites — a single test is usually enough. The list at the top of this page is sorted by symptom.
When should I see a doctor at once?
If you see blood in your stool, black stool, unintended weight loss, fever or severe persistent pain. Signs like these belong with a doctor, not with a self-test.
These analyses do not replace medical assessment or bowel cancer screening. With blood in the stool, unintended weight loss, fever or persistent severe pain, go straight to a doctor.