Gut Microbiome Health Index
Boffins at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science looked at 4,347 people’s poops (gross, but someone has to do it!) to develop a way to measure the bacteria in our gut. They’ve created a mathematical formula, called the Gut Microbiome Health Index (GMHI), to find out how much healthy bacteria versus non-healthy bacteria reside in our stomachs.
The GMHI effectively rates your gut health. A higher number indicates that your gut is home to a healthy population of bacteria, while a lower number could sugget that something's off. What’s so amazing about GMHI is that is has the potential to reveal hidden diseases that you might not have been detected yet.
While the researchers are still ironing out the kinks, there are plenty of things you can do right now to improve your future gut microbiome score! Eating a variety of fruits and veggies, introducing probiotics into your diet (hello, kombucha!) and cutting back on sugar and alcohol are great steps you can take to improve your gut health.
Nic Florido
Author