Dysbiosis index

A comparison of the composition with the pattern found in people with healthy guts: protective bacterial groups and those that typically increase with imbalances. It shows how far the gut flora as a whole is out of balance.

What the dysbiosis index reflects

The index compares the amounts of numerous bacterial groups in your stool sample with the pattern found in people with healthy guts. It includes groups that stand for a calm metabolism in the large intestine – such as butyrate producers, bifidobacteria and mucosa-associated bacteria – and groups that typically increase with imbalances, such as oxygen-tolerant enterobacteria or protein-fermenting microbes. The index thus summarises how much the overall composition deviates from the reference pattern; the individual values show which groups account for the deviation.

Low dysbiosis index – what does it mean?

A low index means that the composition is close to the reference pattern. Oxygen-sensitive fermenting bacteria are sufficiently represented, produce short-chain fatty acids and thereby maintain, via the oxygen consumption of the colon cells, the low-oxygen environment in which they themselves thrive. Individual groups may still stand out; they are shown separately in the report.

High dysbiosis index – what happens in the gut?

With a high index, the protective groups are pushed back and the imbalance can reinforce itself: when butyrate is lacking, the colon cells switch their metabolism to sugar and consume less oxygen. Oxygen and nitrate reach the gut contents and favour microbes such as Escherichia coli, which can use them for respiration, while the oxygen-sensitive butyrate producers decline further. More lipopolysaccharides and protein fermentation products activate immune cells in the mucosa. Causes include antibiotics, infections, medicines such as acid blockers, a low-fibre diet or inflammatory processes in the gut.

The interpretation is given in your report.