Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Why Viome’s Technology is Superior – Understanding Metatranscriptomic Analysis

Viome’s technology is superior because it captures everything that is happening in the gut microbiome – the key word here is happening. Not only can we identify the teeny tiny viruses, single cell eukaryotes, and elusive prokaryotes that lack a cell nucleus, we can determine the enzymes and other proteins these microbes are producing. This shows us what biochemical pathways are active in all of your gut microbes. Viome follows these pathways, just like trails in a forest, to see where they end up, what stops they make along the way, and whether they end at an amazing view or a dangerous cliff. The pathways are the functions of your microbes – or what they are actually doing in your body. Our technology is capable of seeing such precise detail that we not only see the outcomes of functions, but the process as well. The ability to see every step of a pathway is part of what makes Viome’s technology so powerful.

May 27, 2018

Feel Like Hercules – Hack Your Gut for Optimal Performance

Your gut microbiome is a unique collection of microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These microbes hold powerful sway over your hormones, metabolism, and energy production. This trifecta of influence means your gut microbiome influences the most important elements of your daily performance. From your energy levels, to your motivation, to your mood.

Jun 08, 2018

Reversing Arthritis with a Personalized Diet

My rheumatoid arthritis story is one of 20 years of declining joint health, which was only reversed after years of digging through large amounts of scientific information and finally finding a needle in a haystack. My personal health transformation happened before the foundation of Viome and strengthened my decision to leave academic work and start the company, so we can help millions of other people.

Jun 05, 2018

Fight Dad Bod with Your Mighty Microbes

The dreaded “dad bod” can creep up on us as we age. It seems each year it becomes more difficult to keep stubborn fat away. Looking for solutions, you’ll waste a lot of time reading all of the overwhelming and conflicting dietary advice.

Jun 10, 2018

Why Viome’s Technology is Superior – Understanding Metatranscriptomic Analysis

Viome’s technology is superior because it captures everything that is happening in the gut microbiome – the key word here is happening. Not only can we identify the teeny tiny viruses, single cell eukaryotes, and elusive prokaryotes that lack a cell nucleus, we can determine the enzymes and other proteins these microbes are producing. This shows us what biochemical pathways are active in all of your gut microbes. Viome follows these pathways, just like trails in a forest, to see where they end up, what stops they make along the way, and whether they end at an amazing view or a dangerous cliff. The pathways are the functions of your microbes – or what they are actually doing in your body. Our technology is capable of seeing such precise detail that we not only see the outcomes of functions, but the process as well. The ability to see every step of a pathway is part of what makes Viome’s technology so powerful.

May 27, 2018

Anxiety? Depression? Is Your Gut Microbiome to Blame?

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety or depression, you know firsthand the toll it can take on your wellbeing and productivity – even getting through the day can be tough. Being anxious and depressed is much more than an inconvenience – it takes a toll on your health, causing you to get sick, lowering your immunity, and can even prevent you from recovering.

Jun 12, 2018

Feel Like Hercules – Hack Your Gut for Optimal Performance

Your gut microbiome is a unique collection of microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These microbes hold powerful sway over your hormones, metabolism, and energy production. This trifecta of influence means your gut microbiome influences the most important elements of your daily performance. From your energy levels, to your motivation, to your mood.

Jun 08, 2018

Reversing Arthritis with a Personalized Diet

My rheumatoid arthritis story is one of 20 years of declining joint health, which was only reversed after years of digging through large amounts of scientific information and finally finding a needle in a haystack. My personal health transformation happened before the foundation of Viome and strengthened my decision to leave academic work and start the company, so we can help millions of other people.

Jun 05, 2018

Fight Dad Bod with Your Mighty Microbes

The dreaded “dad bod” can creep up on us as we age. It seems each year it becomes more difficult to keep stubborn fat away. Looking for solutions, you’ll waste a lot of time reading all of the overwhelming and conflicting dietary advice.

Jun 10, 2018

Anxiety? Depression? Is Your Gut Microbiome to Blame?

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety or depression, you know firsthand the toll it can take on your wellbeing and productivity – even getting through the day can be tough. Being anxious and depressed is much more than an inconvenience – it takes a toll on your health, causing you to get sick, lowering your immunity, and can even prevent you from recovering.

Jun 12, 2018

Why Is Celiac Disease on the Rise? The Answer Is in The Gut Microbiome

Gluten-free food is everywhere these days. Some scoff at “going gluten-free,” believing it’s a trendy diet choice, when it may actually be a necessary diet modification for some people. Gluten can wreak havoc on the body in those with a gluten sensitivity or intolerance, and it’s downright dangerous for those with celiac disease.

May 22, 2018

You’re Just Like Dad – But Not How You’d Expect…

Sure, you have 50% of Dad’s genes but that’s not the whole picture. Your DNA contributes to your appearance and some health traits but it isn’t nearly as important as we once thought. The fact that we are all 99.9% similar when it comes to our DNA is proof that our DNA doesn’t tell our whole story.

Jun 15, 2018

Why Is Celiac Disease on the Rise? The Answer Is in The Gut Microbiome

Gluten-free food is everywhere these days. Some scoff at “going gluten-free,” believing it’s a trendy diet choice, when it may actually be a necessary diet modification for some people. Gluten can wreak havoc on the body in those with a gluten sensitivity or intolerance, and it’s downright dangerous for those with celiac disease.

May 22, 2018

Meet Vie - Viome’s Artificial Intelligence System

Vie is embedded in your Viome app – it is the hand-held version of our artificial intelligence system. After you take your Viome test, you get your very own personal AI assistant with Vie. Your recommendations are more than a list of foods you should eat, they are the culmination of trillions of data points that have been analyzed, cross checked, and reanalyzed again until Vie passes high standards of validity.

Jun 22, 2018

You’re Just Like Dad – But Not How You’d Expect…

Sure, you have 50% of Dad’s genes but that’s not the whole picture. Your DNA contributes to your appearance and some health traits but it isn’t nearly as important as we once thought. The fact that we are all 99.9% similar when it comes to our DNA is proof that our DNA doesn’t tell our whole story.

Jun 15, 2018

Paleo? Keto? Vegan? What is the Perfect Diet for YOU?

With all the diets in the media today, and a new one popping up what seems to be weekly, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which diet is the best, and more importantly, which one is best for you. You might be eager to make a change and improve your health, but how do you know where to begin?

Jun 29, 2018

No Guts, No Glory – 9 Ways The Gut Microbiome Impacts Athletic Performance

What if one day athletes could inoculate themselves with microscopic organisms that made them run faster, jump higher, and recover like wolverine? Sounds like a Marvel movie doesn't it? But what if we were to tell you that every athlete is already covered in microbes living in and on them that can give them an edge over their competition?

Jul 05, 2018

A Suspicious Gut Microbiome: 19 Conditions Linked to Dysbiosis

Your gut can either be a fountain of youth...or the biggest drag on your health. When the ecosystem of 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut are thrown into chaos, they can wreak havoc on your health. Microbial imbalance or dysbiosis is linked to all sorts of conditions. We aren’t the first to see that the gut is the epicenter of overall health – Hippocrates the ‘Father of Medicine’ famously stated over 2,000 years ago that, “All disease begins in the gut.” This statement is proving to be more true than anyone fully realized.

Jul 09, 2018

How An Unhealthy Gut Microbiome Can Make You Fat

Science continues to prove that the old adage “you are what you eat” is profoundly true. This is because you have trillions of microorganisms living in your gut, which are directly responsible for nearly every aspect of your health. These microbes make up what’s called your, “gut microbiota.” They are especially influential in determining your likelihood of gaining excessive weight, becoming obese, and developing obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and premature death.

Jul 13, 2018

Let's Get Dirty! Why Being Too Clean Isn't Always Better

As a parent, you want your child to be happy and healthy. You go to great lengths making sure they have a safe environment, attend the right school, and have the best opportunities available to them. You try to feed your child right and make sure they get enough exercise. But there’s another factor equally as important as good diet and exercise, if not more important. We want to know, are you making sure your child is getting enough bacteria?

Aug 09, 2018

Improve Insulin Sensitivity Through Gut Health

The struggle to lose weight and ward off disease has a lot to do with your insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity can be defined as as, “how responsive your cells are to insulin". Improving it can help you reduce insulin resistance and the risk of many diseases, including diabetes. Improving insulin sensitivity is a goal to put at the top of your health goals. Why? It’s well documented that controlling your blood sugar levels is crucial to your overall health.

Aug 15, 2018

Why Scientists Are Searching the Gut for Cures to All Chronic Diseases

Since the beginning of time, we’ve had a complicated relationship with bacteria. While it’s absolutely everywhere – in and on us – living mostly in harmony, bacteria gains our attention most often when it causes devastating outbreaks. From food recalls caused by various Salmonella strains to the bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria – history is full of catastrophic stories where bacteria wreaked havoc and caused widespread fear.4 Even today, antibiotic resistant strains like MRSA and CRE (ominously called “nightmare bacteria”), continue to perplex doctors and researchers alike.5 These scary stories have contributed to the widespread belief that “all bacteria is bad.” This dogma has fueled our war against these microorganisms since penicillin was first discovered in 1929. But mounting research suggests that more often than not, bacteria lives not only in harmony with the body, but significantly contributes to our health.

Aug 29, 2018

Gas? Bloating? Do Probiotics Help? Gas-X? What to Do for TRUE Digestive Relief

Before you reach for that antacid to stop your heartburn, or Gas-X to alleviate your gas and bloating, pause for a second… because you could actually be making matters worse. How could something that stops your discomfort so quickly end up making matters worse? Well, many common remedies for these types of digestive issues don’t address the root cause of the problem, they just temporarily relieve the symptoms. One example is when we take medications like antacids, they reduce the concentration of hydrochloric acid in our stomachs, which can change the entire environment of the gut.

Aug 30, 2018

Who’s Really In Control? How Your Gut Microbiome Impacts Your Mental Health

Our incredible minds are what differentiate us from other creatures. We have the unique ability to reason, think abstract thoughts, and experience deep emotions. Yet, emerging research is finding that our gut microbes are the invisible hand influencing our mental well-being. That’s right – there is a two way street of communication along what’s called the gut-brain axis occurring at all times between the enteric system in your gut and the central nervous system – and your microbes play a dominant role. Increasing evidence has found the gut microbiome plays a more dominant role in this conversation than we originally thought.

Sep 11, 2018

What's in a Name? Why Are Microbes’ Names Always Changing?

Scientific names are a way for scientists to communicate with each other the most up-to-date information about exactly how a particular organism looks and behaves. Classification systems allow researchers around the world to communicate more effectively and with greater accuracy. But scientific nomenclature is constantly evolving as we learn and discover more.

Aug 27, 2018

Meet Vie - Viome’s Artificial Intelligence System

Vie is embedded in your Viome app – it is the hand-held version of our artificial intelligence system. After you take your Viome test, you get your very own personal AI assistant with Vie. Your recommendations are more than a list of foods you should eat, they are the culmination of trillions of data points that have been analyzed, cross checked, and reanalyzed again until Vie passes high standards of validity.

Jun 22, 2018

19 Science-Backed Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

You’ve probably noticed the monsoon of gut health advice flooding the internet. This surge was triggered by the discovery of the gut microbiota – or the 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut. Researchers continue to uncover how this ecosystem plays a role in nearly every biological function in the body, which makes anyone concerned with their health ask the obvious question: How do you improve gut health naturally?

Oct 04, 2018

The Mind-Gut Connection – How Your Gut Microbiome Controls Your Behavior

The microbes that live in your gut actually influence your feelings and behaviors. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria and other microbes that directly communicate with your brain along the gut-brain axis, also known as the vagus nerve. We initially thought the brain was doing most of the talking in this relationship, but new gut microbiome research indicates that your microbes are quite chatty.

Nov 30, 2018

A Guide to Your Viome Results

You've received your Viome test results… Now what? Going through your app or website screens you might find yourself wondering – How did we get all those scores and why do they matter? Many keywords are defined in the app, and the results offer a brief explanation each, but here we are going to talk about how these different pieces are tied together. We are excited to share with you the scientific vision behind your Viome scores.

Dec 10, 2018

A Guide to Your Viome Recommendations

Here you’ll gain insight about the process and what goes into your personalized Viome recommendations. We cover the approach we take and some of the scientific principles we use when determining your food recommendations.

Dec 10, 2018

Heal Your Heart Through Your Gut: Understanding the Gut-Heart Connection

The old saying may be true, maybe the way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach. Studies show that gut health and heart health are intricately linked and the key to a strong heart might lay within your gut.

Dec 17, 2018

Did Your Gut Bacteria Give You Food Poisoning?

If you’ve ever had a severe bout of food poisoning, you know it is absolutely miserable. Few things feel worse than gripping that porcelain god, begging for it to be over. While about 1.2 million people make it through Salmonella food poisoning on their own, 23,000 individuals end up in the hospital and 450 lives are claimed each year.1 Salmonella usually makes the news when there is widespread infection from a contaminated food source. But this fairly common cause of food poisoning usually affects people without them realizing Salmonella is to blame. Most people are only sick for a few days and recover without treatment.

Dec 18, 2018

Your Baby’s Miraculous Microbiome – Set Them Up for Life

So, you might not have considered that your baby isn't the only new member of your family. With your baby comes the beginnings of an ecosystem of microscopic organisms. Colonies of bacteria cover your baby at birth and continue to grow and diversify through breastfeeding, with every kiss, snuggle, and new encounter. These microbes are establishing new homes on your baby’s tiny body and while this might make you a nervous to hear – it’s actually good news!

Feb 01, 2019

Paleo? Keto? Vegan? What is the Perfect Diet for YOU?

With all the diets in the media today, and a new one popping up what seems to be weekly, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which diet is the best, and more importantly, which one is best for you. You might be eager to make a change and improve your health, but how do you know where to begin?

Jun 29, 2018

Pucker Up: Each Kiss Swaps 80 Million Microbes

When you lean in for a passionate kiss with your partner, you’re not just getting a surge of the love hormone oxytocin, you’re also exchanging about 80 million microbes. We’re not talking any ole kiss here – we mean at least a 10 second French kiss.

Feb 12, 2019

Ready for a Retest? 5 Signs You're Ready to Level Up

You did it! You put your Viome recommendations into action. Were you surprised by how following the recommendations made you feel? The good news is there is still room for improvement. Your gut microbiome is constantly changing and when you retest you build on the progress you’ve started.

Dec 10, 2018

How to stick to a diet according to Science

When beginning a new diet, what you are essentially dealing with is a change in habit. And as the 19th century, Scottish writer Samuel Smiles mentions. “ To uproot an old habit is sometimes a more painful thing and vastly more difficult than to wrench out a tooth.”

Mar 14, 2019

Your Gut Reveals Your Age

Got a gut feeling? Well, you might just be right! Did you know that humans have been around for 200,000 years? 98% of our existence has passed with an average life span between 19 – 25 years. Now isn’t that shocking! Yet, the exponential growth in science and medicine over the last two centuries has increased our life expectancy vastly. Researchers in the past decade or so, have been looking into factors that determine aging, longevity, and ability to adapt to environmental influences. One such factor that is associated with aging, is the microbial composition of our gut. Now, this might sound strange. But scientists will now be able to age you if you were to handover your stool sample to them!

Mar 14, 2019

No Guts, No Glory – 9 Ways The Gut Microbiome Impacts Athletic Performance

What if one day athletes could inoculate themselves with microscopic organisms that made them run faster, jump higher, and recover like wolverine? Sounds like a Marvel movie doesn't it? But what if we were to tell you that every athlete is already covered in microbes living in and on them that can give them an edge over their competition?

Jul 05, 2018

A Suspicious Gut Microbiome: 19 Conditions Linked to Dysbiosis

Your gut can either be a fountain of youth...or the biggest drag on your health. When the ecosystem of 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut are thrown into chaos, they can wreak havoc on your health. Microbial imbalance or dysbiosis is linked to all sorts of conditions. We aren’t the first to see that the gut is the epicenter of overall health – Hippocrates the ‘Father of Medicine’ famously stated over 2,000 years ago that, “All disease begins in the gut.” This statement is proving to be more true than anyone fully realized.

Jul 09, 2018

How An Unhealthy Gut Microbiome Can Make You Fat

Science continues to prove that the old adage “you are what you eat” is profoundly true. This is because you have trillions of microorganisms living in your gut, which are directly responsible for nearly every aspect of your health. These microbes make up what’s called your, “gut microbiota.” They are especially influential in determining your likelihood of gaining excessive weight, becoming obese, and developing obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and premature death.

Jul 13, 2018

Gut Health and Disease: Is the Microbiome the Key to Curing Chronic Diseases?

Our gut microbiome is our most important human organ. This complex ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and bacteriophages has been called the conductor of the immune–neuroendocrine system, home of the immune system, and even the second brain. In fact, the gut microbiome’s role in human biology is so widespread that scientists from nearly every specialty are checking for potential solutions within the gut. With chronic diseases on the rise across the world, the gut microbiome is now front and center in this epidemic.

May 20, 2019

Have You Met Vie, Viome’s Artificial Intelligence System?

Viome is on a mission to eradicate chronic illness. To achieve this aspirational goal, we are attempting to develop the most profound understanding of human biology in existence. At Viome we use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the biological data and learn more about the gut microbes. Our AI system, which we’ve named ‘Vie’, uses data from four sources:

May 22, 2019

Let's Get Dirty! Why Being Too Clean Isn't Always Better

As a parent, you want your child to be happy and healthy. You go to great lengths making sure they have a safe environment, attend the right school, and have the best opportunities available to them. You try to feed your child right and make sure they get enough exercise. But there’s another factor equally as important as good diet and exercise, if not more important. We want to know, are you making sure your child is getting enough bacteria?

Aug 09, 2018

Your Microbiome Can Impact Your Glycemic Response

In Viome’s latest breakthrough clinical research study, we found that the glycemic response to foods varies greatly based on each person’s unique gut microbiome. In this scientific paper published by our researchers, we describe the clinical study in which we compare how different foods affect blood glucose on an individual level.

Jul 01, 2019

The Microbiome Obesity Connection

Over the last few decades, researchers have been on a quest to find the root causes of obesity. With research on the gut microbiome rolling in on a regular basis, scientists have recently uncovered evidence that your gut microbes may also be partly to blame.

Jul 12, 2019

Improve Insulin Sensitivity Through Gut Health

The struggle to lose weight and ward off disease has a lot to do with your insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity can be defined as as, “how responsive your cells are to insulin". Improving it can help you reduce insulin resistance and the risk of many diseases, including diabetes. Improving insulin sensitivity is a goal to put at the top of your health goals. Why? It’s well documented that controlling your blood sugar levels is crucial to your overall health.

Aug 15, 2018

Are We On Our Way To Personalized Medicine? Scientists Dive Into the Impact of the Gut Microbiome On Drug Response

Although many factors do drive how we metabolize drugs, scientists are diving deeper into how our gut microbiome may be contributing to our responses. With new research continuously unmasking the complex relationship between our food and our gut microbiome, scientists are beginning to theorize there may be more going on with our drug metabolism, too. The microorganisms that thrive in our GI system may be impacting how drugs are broken down, triggering changes in how these drugs react in our body. This field of research, called “pharmacomicrobiomics,” seeks to understand how individuals respond differently to drugs and determine potential efficacy and side-effect changes based on interactions with our gut microbiota.

Jul 29, 2019

Let’s Talk About Depression

It’s estimated that almost 20 million adults in the United States have experienced depression at some point in their life. Although feeling sadness and grief are normal human emotions, experiencing depression can be a life-threatening disorder - including putting your own life at risk. It can feel like living in a tower of solitude, isolated by an overwhelming ocean in a storm with no end in sight. For families, having a loved one suffering from this disease can feel like drowning, without hope in sight for what seems like an impenetrable condition. The economic burden associated with depression each year costs America over 210 billion dollars. That includes lost income at work, to the cost of medication, down to the costs associated with hospital visits. Ultimately, the greatest cost of mental health disorders are the number of lives that are taken each year, too soon.

Aug 19, 2019

Is Gut Imbalance to Blame for Your Hormonal Changes?

Not surprisingly, the man who wrote “women age like fine wine,” forgot to mention the unpleasant changes many women experience as they age. Whereas, we like to believe women enter their more mature years as graceful and radiant creatures, the truth is many women are more likely to be experiencing waves of hot flashes that seem to frequent as quickly as they appear. Although there are many things to appreciate in life as we age - like wisdom and our growing families - mood swings and other biological changes don’t quite make the list.

Sep 13, 2019

10 Things Viome's Gut Test Can Reveal About Your Gut Microbiome

There’s a lot of tests out there that offer personalized diet recommendations. Viome’s food recommendations are supported by an in-depth analysis of your living microorganisms and their behavior on a molecular level. Think of it as the Instagram to your inner world—a snapshot of what’s happening inside your body, and each day we're getting a bigger picture. Curious to know some things this gut test can reveal about you? You may be more than a little surprised by what you find.

Sep 14, 2019

Time to Table the Salt? How Salt May Be Affecting Your Microbiome

When you consume foods high in salt, the food passes through your digestive system and into your intestines, where most of your nutrients are absorbed and released into your blood. Excessive levels of sodium in your bloodstream can have very harmful health effects. It can cause many serious conditions like hypertension, or high blood pressure. Hypertension is known as a silent killer because most people can live for years without experiencing any symptoms. However, if left untreated, hypertension can increase your risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack or stroke. More recently, salt intake has been linked to inflammatory conditions like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and autoimmune disorders, and now the list even extends to our gut health.

Sep 15, 2019

The Neurodegenerative Disease: Alzheimer’s and the Gut Microbiome

The heartbreak of having a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s disease comes not only from losing them after a difficult battle, but from watching with devastation as they slowly lose themselves. Alzheimer’s continues to be one of the most under-diagnosed and under-treated diseases in America, costing over 170 billion dollars per year in healthcare costs1.

Sep 01, 2019

Race to 2 Million: Join Us In the Battle Against Chronic Diseases

Viome’s mission has always been to make chronic illness optional – a goal we firmly believe is not only achievable, but within grasp when enough people care to solve the problem. Artificial intelligence requires a massive amount of data in order to identify patterns, especially when you factor in the many different activities that may cause the same disease in different individuals. We’re racing to 2 million gut microbiomes in an effort to unmask the mystery that clouds many chronic diseases including how individualized the activity of one’s gut microbiome truly is. Each month of our Race to 2 Million campaign we focus on a chronic disease and what we’re learning about it in relation to the gut microbiome. For the month of August, we’re zeroing in on depression.

Aug 12, 2019

Healthy Glowing Skin From the Inside Out

At Viome, we talk a lot about your gut microbiome and its role in your health, but did you know that we have a number of other microbiomes found all over our body? The colonies found on our skin make up the skin microbiome, giving us another example of how beneficial microbes are to maintaining our health and wellbeing. These colonies play an integral role in protecting our skin. They shape how our skin looks and feels – acting as protectors of the skin barrier against outside pathogens and toxins.

Sep 16, 2019

The “Superfood” Conundrum: How Someone’s Superfood May Not Be So Super for You

If you follow health trends, you might notice the word “superfood” gets tossed around quite a bit. It seems like every month a new food is deemed super – like quinoa, broccoli, spinach, and blueberries. It’s not hard to see why: these foods are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals - and often times powerful natural anti-inflammatories. But one of the most common mistakes we make is assuming one superfood is a super food for all and frankly, our gut microbiome has its own opinion on that.

Sep 23, 2019

Did You Know Gut Microbes Can Affect Cancer Treatment Response?

The gut microbiome is vital to our overall health – it's part pharmacy, part powerhouse, and part immune system. Scientists have also found that certain gut microbes determine whether or not you'll respond to disease treatments and drugs well. Meaning, one day in the future it could be possible to manipulate the gut microbiome so you respond to treatments better.

Oct 02, 2019

What's in a Name? Why Are Microbes’ Names Always Changing?

Scientific names are a way for scientists to communicate with each other the most up-to-date information about exactly how a particular organism looks and behaves. Classification systems allow researchers around the world to communicate more effectively and with greater accuracy. But scientific nomenclature is constantly evolving as we learn and discover more.

Aug 27, 2018

How Viome is Redefining the One-Size-Fits-All Health Industry

Like all revolutions, it started small: research began uncovering how individuals following a “healthy” diet experienced a wide variety of results. As time went on, it expanded as other studies unmasked nutritional status or dietary connections to a variety of diseases. Then came the discovery of the gut microbiome and the essential roles of microbes in digestion. This breakthrough shed light on why many diet trends missed the target for countless seeking weight-loss solutions.

Oct 11, 2019

Gut Health and Cancer

Incidences of cancer in America are on the rise, with your probability of being diagnosed in your lifetime greater than 1 in 3 - a statistic supported by the nearly 5,000 people who are diagnosed with some form of cancer each day. Although the number of cancer deaths has slowly been declining over the last 30 years (thanks to advancements in treatment) cancer mortality is still at nearly 40%, a number that is all too high.

Oct 01, 2019

Recent Links Between The Gut Microbiome and Cancer

Cancer research has come a long way in the last few decades. Although progress is often slow, taxing, and difficult to generate clinical relevance, the studies you read about today may very well be the tipping point for future therapies. Similarly, some studies have shown the gut microbiome may play a pivotal role in how cancerous conditions occur, creating a field of research that has left many scientists excited to explore.

Oct 13, 2019

Meet Your Second Brain: The Gut Microbiome and Your Digestion

If you’re an avid reader of the Viome blog, you might have read some interesting news about the gut-brain axis and mental health and behavior, but you might not realize how connected it is to normal digestion, too. The gut-brain axis is “bidirectional” which means messages and signals are sent both from the gut to the brain via the vagus nerve, and from the brain to the gut. That means, your gut microbes might be telling your brain what to eat, but your brain is also telling your gut when to start digesting and how quickly it occurs. The messages being sent to your GI tract are just as important as the ones being sent from it – but these interactions may affect you in several different ways.

Oct 10, 2019

Foods for Gut Health? Separating Facts from Myths

If your first inclination in gut health discussions is to think of food, it’s for a good reason. The best way you can optimize your health is through the nutrients you put into your body. Of course, the immediate advice always remains the same – 1. avoid alcohol 2. avoid processed sugar and 3. limit fatty junk food intake - But what comes next? Is it really as simple as “eat healthy?”

Oct 23, 2019

Host Metabolism: How Your Gut Microbes Are Calling the Shots

Despite all this talk on “metabolism,” it tends to be one of those words that everyone uses – but doesn’t actually know what it is. Sure enough, the way many talk about their metabolism is similar to an organ, giving it a specific function tied to many tissues. In truth, metabolism is so much grander, and yet so specific to each organism. Each and every cell, in every living organism – plant, animal, bacteria… - has its own metabolism that plays into a larger, all-encompassing energetic state.

Oct 28, 2019

Bacteria Beware: How Scientists are Frightening Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs

In the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve, we have our own spooky story to tell about what creatures might be lurking inside each of us – but rest assured: this haunting tale has a happy ending.

Oct 31, 2019

The Case of the Blood Sugar Disease: A Brief History of Diabetes

Despite how it seems, diabetes used to be a very rare condition. It also represented primarily incidences of type 1 diabetes, over the more common type 2. But rates are climbing with 30 million Americans currently diagnosed with diabetes, and another 84 million right on the cusp of developing it. Between the two, that accounts for more than a third of the American population. It might be near impossible to encounter an adult who hasn’t heard of diabetes.

Nov 01, 2019

Do You Know Your Skin-Care History? 5 Facts You Didn’t Know About the Beginnings of the Beauty Industry

We’ve officially entered National Healthy Skin Month this November and with new research linking the health of the skin microbiome with the health of the gut microbiome – what better time to quiz you on your skin-care history!

Nov 13, 2019

Why Scientists Are Searching the Gut for Cures to All Chronic Diseases

Since the beginning of time, we’ve had a complicated relationship with bacteria. While it’s absolutely everywhere – in and on us – living mostly in harmony, bacteria gains our attention most often when it causes devastating outbreaks. From food recalls caused by various Salmonella strains to the bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria – history is full of catastrophic stories where bacteria wreaked havoc and caused widespread fear.4 Even today, antibiotic resistant strains like MRSA and CRE (ominously called “nightmare bacteria”), continue to perplex doctors and researchers alike.5 These scary stories have contributed to the widespread belief that “all bacteria is bad.” This dogma has fueled our war against these microorganisms since penicillin was first discovered in 1929. But mounting research suggests that more often than not, bacteria lives not only in harmony with the body, but significantly contributes to our health.

Aug 29, 2018

Could Your Gut Microbiome Hold the Answer to New Antibiotics?

If someone were to ask you what an antibiotic is, you might be able to give them a pretty good description of a drug that can kill bacteria and heal an infection. You might even go on to describe how antibiotics are used in various ways like topical ointments, oral supplements, or even intravenously. You may even know that many of the antibiotics we use today are made from fungi, such as penicillin and amoxicillin. But – you might not know that discovering new antibiotics has been steadily declining over the last 60 years – with only 3 new drugs out for market in the last twenty years. Many pharmaceutical companies have deemed them not financially profitable, limiting the discovery of new drugs. Not only that, but antibiotic resistance has changed how effective many of these antibiotics are.

Nov 18, 2019

Fighting Cookie Season: Sugar and Your Gut

Joining together with friends and family and eating a little extra before the winter-time blues set in is not only normal but can often bring a sense of happiness and contentment. Some of the biggest ways in which people fall off the wagon of their new “trendy diet” are by making extremely stringent dietary restrictions. Viome knows there’s more to health than just a strict diet – it’s about embracing a healthy lifestyle, and sometimes that includes a little flexibility here and there.

Nov 19, 2019

Skin Problems? What Your Dermatologist Might Not Tell You

The gut microbiome is only one of several bacterial ecosystems you can find in and on your body. We’re actually covered in microbes from head to toe; in our mouths, gut, lungs, biliary tract, and on our skin. The skin microbiome contains an entire ecosystem of microbes that help maintain many functions that keep our skin healthy and serve as the first protective defense against infection.

Nov 25, 2019

Are You Feeling Those Wintertime Blues? So Is Your Gut!

In spring and summer, when we walk outside and catch some rays, that sunlight is causing all sorts of beneficial biochemical reactions in your skin. You might be familiar with UV rays – those things that sunblock is supposed to protect you from – but did you know that they also play an important role in keeping you healthy?

Dec 02, 2019

From Microbe to Man: Viome's Clinical Research Initiatives

Our scientists run an extensive clinical research program that is extremely focused on developing science-based personalized nutrition algorithms towards treatment, prevention, and reversal of chronic diseases. As we all know, the current medical system focuses mostly on managing symptoms, without ever curing chronic diseases. This is the main reason why Viome was formed, to finally understand the root causes of chronic diseases and design precision diets for every person, so we can all live a long and healthy life.

Dec 02, 2019

The Gut Microbiome and Sleep: 3 Ways Your Gut Can Impact Your Sleeping Patterns

You’ve heard it in the news and you’ve heard it online – getting more sleep is one of the hottest health trends being talked about. Although making sure you stick to a healthy sleep schedule and aim for 8 hours a day is more than just your typical health “craze”, there is a lot more to managing your night-time routine.

Dec 15, 2019

3 Types of Personalized Nutrition Companies That Aren’t Being Honest With You

We get it. Viome isn’t the only company to use the words “science-based, personalized nutrition”. The internet is saturated in companies claiming to offer recommendations based on your body type, a questionnaire, or your DNA. Although technology today is racing at the speed of light, most likely these companies are falling short on what they promise: offering limited “personal” options or generalizing their results in a manner that doesn’t quite add up.

Dec 16, 2019

Top 5 Ways to Spot a Fad Diet

There are a lot of great reasons why you should improve your diet, and managing your weight is absolutely one of them. But whatever your reason for starting your weight loss – or weight gain – journey, determining what dietary changes to incorporate into your routine can seem overwhelming. It may also seem like it’s common sense to figure out which foods you should be eating and which to be avoiding. Unfortunately, bad advice is just about everywhere you turn, with so many sources telling you what dietary practices are right and wrong. You might find that you’re confronted with conflicting advice every which way you turn. Much of the advice you hear is most likely contributing to the use of Fad Diets – trendy and often ineffective ways to lose weight or improve your health.

Dec 22, 2019

Celebrating the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Last Century

We’re approaching more than just a new year - we are entering a very new decade! The roaring 20’s are back with a vengeance and this time they have a hundred years’ worth of advancements in modern medicine. We thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the greatest scientific discoveries that have happened over the last century and which direction we think science is going in the next decade. In truth, it is nearly impossible to prioritize the best advancement for each decade, but we took our best shot. Take a look at what we picked:

Dec 31, 2019

Why RNA, and Not DNA: How Viome Assesses Microbial Activity

As a health and wellness platform, how we generate our results is a common question among users and the public alike. If you’re considering changing your lifestyle to embrace a healthier diet, it’s important to find a reliable guide you can trust. This is why Viome has worked so hard to develop a novel and scientifically reliable way of analyzing your samples. When we embarked on this path, we sought to ensure we were using state of the art technology. By combining innovative gut microbiome sequencing technology straight from the Los Alamos National Labs with a highly specialized machine-learning model, we’ve created one of the most advanced platforms to analyze your gut microbiome activity. There are many things that set us apart from our competition, whether it be the advanced algorithms we use, our world-class team, or our determination to redefine the healthcare industry. This includes our technology– and why we choose to examine RNA over DNA.

Jan 12, 2020

Gas? Bloating? Do Probiotics Help? Gas-X? What to Do for TRUE Digestive Relief

Before you reach for that antacid to stop your heartburn, or Gas-X to alleviate your gas and bloating, pause for a second… because you could actually be making matters worse. How could something that stops your discomfort so quickly end up making matters worse? Well, many common remedies for these types of digestive issues don’t address the root cause of the problem, they just temporarily relieve the symptoms. One example is when we take medications like antacids, they reduce the concentration of hydrochloric acid in our stomachs, which can change the entire environment of the gut.

Aug 30, 2018

The Cost in Healthcare No One is Talking About (Hint: It’s You)

The ugly truth about poor health is that it doesn’t just wreak havoc on our bodies - it can also put a significant amount of stress on our finances. The costs associated with poor health can range from an increase in doctor’s visits to expensive prescription drugs, and can even result in extended hospital stays from chronic conditions.

Jan 19, 2020

Raw vs. Cooked - What’s the best way to eat your vegetables?

There are a lot of diet misnomers out there when you’re embarking on a journey to eat healthier. However, when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables, the advice is usually consistent: eat more. But as we head into a new decade of nutrition and scientific research, scientists are continuing to ask questions about the ways we prepare food - and how it might affect how well we digest our food.

Jan 20, 2020

Cervical Cancer and the Vaginal Microbiome

Our gut microbiome can impact our health in many ways, often affecting our risk for many digestive and metabolic conditions. It seems that a lot of focus is spent on treating or preventing these diseases – and rightly so – but there are many other microbiomes on our body that play a close role in our health.

Feb 17, 2020

Parkinson’s and the Gut Microbiome: A Steady Start to a New Era of Research

Facing a Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis can be terrifying. This neurodegenerative disease has seen a steady increase over the last century, often with life-changing symptoms. However, efforts to understand the cause of the disease has created a dynamic movement of truly exciting new research.

Feb 19, 2020

What Your Poop Says About You

For a company that analyzes your gut microbiome based on a sample of your stool, we’ll be the first to admit just how special your poop is. Although you might take your bowel movement for granted, there is an unfathomable amount of information you can gather from it. How you go, how frequently you go, and the appearance of your stool are all things that can say a lot about your digestive health – and it can speak volumes about your overall health as well.

Feb 20, 2020

Scientist Uncover Brand New Landscapes while Mapping the Gut Microbiome

Depending on where we are - or who we are with – we all tend to show different sides of our personality. People are complex, layered individuals with behaviors that we often adjust whether we are with friends, family, or at work. Our location often influences how we act. For humans, we call this phenomenon environmental psychology – or the study of how the natural world impacts our behavior. But the idea that our behavior towards others varies based on our environment isn’t limited to humans, or even animals. It can affect many other living organisms, including the microorganisms that make their home inside us. And it might have a little to do with their relationship with our own immune cells.

Feb 21, 2020

TMI on TMAO? How Your Diet Impacts Your Heart Health

Americans have been facing an uphill battle against cardiovascular disease for the last forty years. Every 37 seconds, a person dies from cardiovascular disease in the United States, with nearly 650,000 deaths from heart disease each year. A staggering number – translating to nearly 1 in every 4 deaths that can be attributed to cardiovascular events. Yet, there are many ways people can begin to take control over their heart health today. Scientists have found strong associations that dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly strengthen the heart, lessening the impact of many cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Feb 26, 2020

Who’s Really In Control? How Your Gut Microbiome Impacts Your Mental Health

Our incredible minds are what differentiate us from other creatures. We have the unique ability to reason, think abstract thoughts, and experience deep emotions. Yet, emerging research is finding that our gut microbes are the invisible hand influencing our mental well-being. That’s right – there is a two way street of communication along what’s called the gut-brain axis occurring at all times between the enteric system in your gut and the central nervous system – and your microbes play a dominant role. Increasing evidence has found the gut microbiome plays a more dominant role in this conversation than we originally thought.

Sep 11, 2018

FACTS ABOUT FADS: 4 Ways Trendy Dieting is Hurting Your Health

So even though we all know the hottest fad diet out there may not be here to stay, why is it that we gravitate towards them anyway? Do we really believe that whatever diet one celebrity follows will work just as well for us? And are these fad diets really helping us in our weight loss journey or could there be a darker side lying just beneath?

Mar 12, 2020

Give Your Gut a Chance: Microorganisms and Your Immune System

Whenever an infectious disease threatens the health of many, the topic of how our immune system operates often arises. Across the board, the human immune response helps to manage a plethora of tasks, the most important of which is fighting pathogens. Properly employing it in times of sickness is an important part of keeping us well. Since a large proportion of our immune system is housed within our gut, the gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in determining when and how well our immune response operates.

Mar 16, 2020

10 Ways to Invest in Your Health

It has been amazing to witness people all over the world in the past few weeks quickly adjust to new ways of living, working, and creating new routines to keep healthy. With these changes, we’re also given an opportunity to invest in ongoing wellness for ourselves and our families and create new healthy habits together. Over the next few weeks, Viome will be providing tips on eating the right superfoods for you in affordable, more convenient ways, and how to support your gut microbiome to improve your overall wellness.

Apr 03, 2020

Supporting Your Immunity Through Your Gut Microbiome

The latest science illustrates that our innate immunity relies on a healthy gut microbiome. So, how do you support your gut microbiome to help strengthen your immunity? We asked our scientists, researchers, and physicians at the Viome Research Institute to share the research papers and articles which they have been following on ways to boost immunity and the gut-immune system connection, with links throughout this blog to help you learn more.

Apr 09, 2020

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Bariatric Surgery

There are dozens of ways an imbalanced gut microbiome can affect us, and it varies from individual to individual. Diet, lifestyle, environment, age, gender – all of these can alter the gut microbiome balance. When compromised, the most immediate effects can be seen through our digestion and even heighten our risk for weight gain.

Apr 13, 2020

17 Grocery Shopping Tips to Make Your Life Less Stressful—and More Healthy

Grocery shopping in ordinary circumstances can be a little tricky, if not at times overwhelming, and certainly expensive. These days, what you put on your shopping list is becoming increasingly important for your at-home comfort and health. What was once a fairly mundane chore has morphed into a complicated task. You may be concerned about not only about cooking meals that your family will enjoy, but also being able to give them the right superfoods and nutrients they need to support their wellness and immunity.

Apr 20, 2020

High-Priced Beauty Products vs. Beauty from the Inside Out

New evidence shows the foods we eat affect inflammation in our body and that skin conditions could be a direct result of this internal inflammation. If saving money on skincare solutions and getting your whole body to work for you in all areas at the same time sounds like a good deal, read on.

Apr 23, 2020

A Message From Our CEO

As we all continue to navigate this challenging, world-wide event, I very much hope that every one of you is safe, well, and able to use this time to invest as much as you can in your health.

Apr 29, 2020

A History of Celiac Disease

Gluten-free might feel like a fad, but for 3,000,000 people in the United States, it’s no laughing matter. Instead, life is a constant worry to ensure their next meal doesn’t leave them out of commission for hours, if not days. On the lighter end, symptoms of this condition can range from mild bloating, cramping, and gastrointestinal discomfort to constant bouts of diarrhea, peripheral neuropathy, and reduced bone mass. It can also cause malabsorption for essential nutrients and stunt growth in children. With over 200 potential symptoms related to Celiac disease, the growing concern and extended impact of this condition has health professionals around the world searching for the root cause.

May 08, 2020

What is Gut Dysbiosis?

About 100 years ago, a few isolated studies discovered a connection between mental health and diet. Today, we’re beginning to understand just how complex that relationship is. There are trillions of microbes inside of your body actively contributing to your physical, mental, and emotional health. They play a starring role in exactly how your diet affects your health. If things aren’t going so well, you might be dealing with gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in your gut microbiome. This can contribute to everything from difficulty losing weight to possibly playing a pivotal role in how cancerous conditions occur.

May 14, 2020

Types of Acne, Treatments, and How Your Gut Microbiome Affects Your Skin Health

May 22, 2020

Viome’s Health Intelligence Service reveals 5 new health score categories with the introduction of the world’s first human gene expression test

Viome introduces our new Health Intelligence™ Service which includes: Gut Intelligence™ Test and our new Human Gene Expression™ Test. With the launch of this revolutionary service, for the first time ever, you are able to get an ultra-focused, holistic picture of what is happening inside your cells to better understand the effects of your diet and lifestyle on your immunity, mitochondrial and cellular health, internal biological age, and gut microbiome.

May 28, 2020

How the trendy (and unhealthy) Dad Bod is connected to your gut microbiome health

The relaxed and comfortable look of the "Dad Bod" has been a trend for men since the emergence of the original Dad Bod blog article in 2015. It was a fascinating opposition to the usually ideal fit male body type with six-pack abs. While both trends in male body types still endure, there has recently been a backlash against promoting a physical look that can be highly unhealthy for men, and all the dads out there who sport the look.

Jun 10, 2020

Naveen Jain and Deepak Chopra on the Most Promising Facts of Your Microbiome

Recently, Naveen Jain, CEO of Viome, and Deepak Chopra, MD, FCAP, sat down together to discuss the thorough exploration and discoveries of the human microbiome, and with the basics now known, what can be done to improve your own gut microbiome. Their discussion was published in an article July 6th on SFGate.com.

Jul 07, 2020

Gut Microbiome Health and Cellular Health are the Keys to Optimizing Physical Performance

It's becoming clear that a cornerstone of great health and stronger immunity is through the right food and nutrition which helps nourish your gut microbiome, as well as your human cells, right down to the mitochondrial and molecular levels. People are becoming more conscious of this relationship. But, lesser-known is that your gut and your cellular health also play a fundamental role in fitness.

Jul 08, 2020

How Athletic Performance is Affected by your Gut Microbiome, Cellular, and Mitochondrial Health

Imagine a world where you could mimic the most elite athletes’ microbiome and cellular health to improve your athletic prowess. Does this sound like science fiction? Maybe. But, what if we told you that every athlete is covered in and full of microbes that provide an edge over their competition, and has a unique cellular and mitochondrial health profile that helps them produce energy, moderate inflammation, and recover?

Jul 09, 2020

19 Science-Backed Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

You’ve probably noticed the monsoon of gut health advice flooding the internet. This surge was triggered by the discovery of the gut microbiota – or the 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut. Researchers continue to uncover how this ecosystem plays a role in nearly every biological function in the body, which makes anyone concerned with their health ask the obvious question: How do you improve gut health naturally?

Oct 04, 2018

The Mind-Gut Connection – How Your Gut Microbiome Controls Your Behavior

The microbes that live in your gut actually influence your feelings and behaviors. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria and other microbes that directly communicate with your brain along the gut-brain axis, also known as the vagus nerve. We initially thought the brain was doing most of the talking in this relationship, but new gut microbiome research indicates that your microbes are quite chatty.

Nov 30, 2018

A Guide to Your Viome Results

You've received your Viome test results… Now what? Going through your app or website screens you might find yourself wondering – How did we get all those scores and why do they matter? Many keywords are defined in the app, and the results offer a brief explanation each, but here we are going to talk about how these different pieces are tied together. We are excited to share with you the scientific vision behind your Viome scores.

Dec 10, 2018

Exploring New Health Intelligence Scores with Biohacker Ben Greenfield’s Results

Ben Greenfield—biohacker, human body and brain performance coach, ex-bodybuilder, Ironman triathlete, professional Spartan athlete, anti-aging consultant, speaker, and author of the New York Times Bestseller “Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health and Life,” recently recieved the results from his Health Intelligence™ service—and wanted to share his results from this breakthrough new technology with his followers, as well as ours.

Sep 23, 2020