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 Guru - Viome’s Chief Technology Officer

“Holy sh*t!” Naveen said excitedly, after Guru told him he was looking for his next big project. Turns out, Naveen’s response was a bit of funny foreshadowing. This serendipitous phone call was the beginning of a series of events that resulted in Guru Banavar – a former Chief Technology Officer at IBM – joining the team at Viome. Today, Viome’s market leading product uses a stool sample to sequence and analyze the genes of a person's most important and accessible ‘organ’ – the gut microbiome. Combining metatranscriptomic technology and artificial intelligence, Viome delivers personalized nutrition advice aimed at increasing microbial diversity and balance – a key pillar of health.

Sep 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

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

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

Is The Gut 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

Understanding Your Viome Scores

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.

Jul 23, 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

Is It 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 “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

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

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

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

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

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