Anyone here use Thryve gut test?

[DayDreaming]

Does anyone here have experience (good or bad) using Thryve?
https://www.thryveinside.com/

I searched the forum and only found a few references to it here, but I did decide to give it them try because I always feel like something is 'off' with my gut. I have been to a gastroenterologist, who sent me for a lot of tests, and said everything looks fine, it's just IBS, take more fiber.

Anyway, I did the test with Thryve, sent them my stool sample, paid the $95.
In return, I got an extensive analysis of my gut bacteria - a big spreadsheet with bacteria types and numbers and it means nothing to me. They also gave me a personalized food plan which I'm still scratching my head over - it says things like avoid chicken, eggs, shellfish, trout, but it recommends that I eat turkey, quail, oysters and sea bass, etc, etc.

After their analysis of my sample, I can order a personalized probiotic blend made just for me for $34.99/month. Maybe I should try it, but I can't help feeling like I've been scammed. Has anyone used this company and their probiotics?

 

[Time2]

I don't know if you have been scammed, but it does seem gut bacteria matters. The diet recommendation does seem odd to me. It sucks that they have a bias of selling you a product.

 

[braumeister]

There is certainly a lot of interest in gut health these days, although precious little hard information about how to measure it.

Consumer Reports doesn't recommend it yet, because of the huge uncertainties.

Personally, I would be extremely skeptical about a company that tries to sell a product as a result of their tests.

 

[Dash man]

I tried a variety of those probiotic products and they’re all lousy.
My gastroenterologist had me take these tests where I mix a type of powder (sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose) with water, drink it and exhaled into tubes every 20-30 minutes for three hours. Sent the tubes off to their lab for processing. Turns out I’m sensitive to fructose and lactose. I adjusted my diet accordingly and haven’t had a problem since. I had been suffering digestive tract distress for at least five years and it had been getting worse.
The problem is the tests aren’t cheap and weren’t covered by my insurance. But it was worth every penny.

 

[braumeister]

I tried a variety of those probiotic products and they’re all lousy.
My gastroenterologist had me take these tests where I mix a type of powder (sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose) with water, drink it and exhaled into tubes every 20-30 minutes for three hours. Sent the tubes off to their lab for processing. Turns out I’m sensitive to fructose and lactose.

Sucrose (table sugar) is half fructose, so seems kind of odd that there was no result from it.

 

[Dash man]

Sucrose (table sugar) is half fructose, so seems kind of odd that there was no result from it.

The results of one test, probably sucrose, did show some reaction, but he said it was related to the fructose test. I really didn’t understand why, so you probably explained it. I haven’t been eating anything with sugar in it, so that explains why my symptoms disappeared.

 

[sengsational]

There was a company called uBiome that didn't try to sell products, but they went out of business. I saw Thryve mentioned here, researched it. When I saw they were hawking probiotics, I decided against using them. Then a month ago, or so, I decided to buy a kit anyway, just for "fun". Haven't registered it.

I'd never heard of the drink stuff and exhale thing before. My GI guy is primarily a scope operator, think...no interest in improving the health of patients, just don't be late for that next scope!!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We had the Thryve gut tests. I didn't do the probiotics, but DH did for awhile. After a few months he decided they weren't helping. I am not sure their food recommendations are helpful, either.

However, the gut report was very helpful. We were both really low in a kind of bacteria that is also low is everyone else with the same kind of health conditions we have been having. In research studies, giving this bacteria to patients with a related, supposedly incurable health disorder, reversed their symptoms.

We're also doing blood work testing in conjunction with Thryve and correcting anything out of bounds. We had regular check ups and did the blood work the doctors ordered which didn't show a whole lot. But I went through Pubmed and looked for what nutrients, gut bacteria and biomarkers people with our issues are usually low in, we ordered those tests, and bingo - identified at least a few key issues so far. We changed our diets along with starting some supplements and as a result and have been reversing our health issues.

 

[Another Reader]

We had the Thryve gut tests. I didn't do the probiotics, but DH did for awhile. After a few months he decided they weren't helping. I am not sure their food recommendations are helpful, either.


However, the gut report was very helpful. We were both really low in a kind of bacteria that is also low is everyone else with the same kind of health conditions we have been having. In research studies, giving this bacteria to patients with a related, supposedly incurable health disorder, reversed their symptoms.



We're also doing blood work testing in conjunction with Thryve and correcting anything out of bounds. We had regular check ups and did the blood work the doctors ordered which didn't show a whole lot. But I went through Pubmed and looked for what nutrients, gut bacteria and biomarkers people with our issues are usually low in, we ordered those tests, and bingo - identified at least a few key issues so far. We changed our diets along with starting some supplements and as a result and have been reversing our health issues.

Gut biome is a huge issue in Long Covid. Some people are getting relief of some symptoms by doing this sort of testing, changing their diets, and adding supplements.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Gut biome is a huge issue in Long Covid. Some people are getting relief of some symptoms by doing this sort of testing, changing their diets, and adding supplements.

The problem with the research studies is they tend to test big groups of people at a time and then change one variable and look for results. But many nutrients are codependent, we all have different diets, exercise habits, sleep patterns, genes and gut bacteria, so an individualized approach is likely to yield better results.

There is a doctor who has good results for Alzheimer's with this individualized approach, the Breseden Protocol. He gets slammed by other doctors for not having control groups, but they don't get that the whole single change - control group methodology has fundamental logic flaws, which is why he is getting good results and they aren't. His approach has been validated by the FINGER study, which applied a whole lifestyle approach like he is doing - Inside the FINGER Study: Hard Evidence Shows How Diet, Exercise and Mind Games Might Make or Break a Dementia Diagnosis - Being Patient.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Another product I bought was an AIRE device from Food Marble on Amazon. Description of how it works and how it is helpful for IBS caused by SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) here - https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2019/06/h2-breath-detection-game-changer-for-gastrointestinal-health/.

I used to test positive for sweets, like truffles, but after I changed my diet and started the supplements of what I was low in, I can eat more sweets now with less of an issue.

We're going to do more functional medicine tests, too, eventually. But since I think we're changing our microbiome now for the better we may hold off until we've we stalled out on improvements from the tests we've already had. Otherwise we're testing on a moving target - The Most Commonly Ordered Functional Medicine Lab Tests - https://www.rupahealth.com/post/the-5-most-commonly-ordered-functional-medicine-lab-tests. Most of these can be ordered on either through a functional medicine doctor or on your own through sites like Walkinlabs.

This video was really helpful: Why Fixing the Gut is the Key to Chronic Disease - The Doctor's Farmacy with Dr. Todd LePine (drhyman.com)

 

[DayDreaming]

To be fair, I knew that this company would want to sell me their own probiotics, they clearly advertise that as their main benefit. I guess I was expecting some clearer results from the test though.

The dashboard they give me says "Gut Score 78% - your gut is close to an ideal state, keep it up!". Okay, I guess that's clear, but then why do they think I need to spend $35/month for their personalized probiotic mix - that is not clear.

This is from the report they gave me showing the results of their analysis. It's the first 18 rows of a 788 row table and it means absolutely nothing to me. @daylatedollarshort - you said you found the report useful - how so?

"taxon_id"	"rank"	"name"	"parent"	"count"	"rank_count"	"perc"
"186801"	"class"	"Clostridia"	"Firmicutes"	"40749"	"51195"	"0.7959566363902725"
"200643"	"class"	"Bacteroidia"	"Bacteroidetes"	"8551"	"51195"	"0.1670280300810626"
"28216"	"class"	"Betaproteobacteria"	"Proteobacteria"	"220"	"51195"	"0.004297294657681414"
"84998"	"class"	"Coriobacteriia"	"Actinobacteria"	"113"	"51195"	"0.002207246801445454"
"91061"	"class"	"Bacilli"	"Firmicutes"	"116"	"51195"	"0.0022658462740502002"
"909932"	"class"	"Negativicutes"	"Firmicutes"	"916"	"51195"	"0.017892372301982616"
"28221"	"class"	"Deltaproteobacteria"	"Proteobacteria"	"76"	"51195"	"0.0014845199726535795"
"201174"	"class"	"Actinobacteria"	"Actinobacteria"	"162"	"51195"	"0.003164371520656314"
""	"class"	"other Firmicutes phylum"	"Firmicutes"	"71"	"51195"	"0.0013868541849790018"
""	"class"	"other Cyanobacteria phylum"	"Cyanobacteria"	"2"	"51195"	"0.00003906631506983104"
"526524"	"class"	"Erysipelotrichia"	"Firmicutes"	"153"	"51195"	"0.0029885731028420743"
"1236"	"class"	"Gammaproteobacteria"	"Proteobacteria"	"27"	"51195"	"0.000527395253442719"
"28211"	"class"	"Alphaproteobacteria"	"Proteobacteria"	"5"	"51195"	"0.0000976657876745776"
"117743"	"class"	"Flavobacteriia"	"Bacteroidetes"	"4"	"51195"	"0.00007813263013966208"
"203490"	"class"	"Fusobacteriia"	"Fusobacteria"	"1"	"51195"	"0.00001953315753491552"
""	"class"	"other Bacteroidetes phylum"	"Bacteroidetes"	"4"	"51195"	"0.00007813263013966208"
"200783"	"class"	"Aquificae"	"Aquificae"	"1"	"51195"	"0.00001953315753491552"

 

[daylatedollarshort]

This is from the report they gave me showing the results of their analysis. It's the first 18 rows of a 788 row table and it means absolutely nothing to me. @daylatedollarshort - you said you found the report useful - how so?

We're almost completely missing a whole phylum so our test results were kind of a no brainers for both of us. Plus the missing phylum matched the microbiome studies for our kind of issues from the Pubmed studies and which probiotics / fermented foods are known to help. It all just really fit. I paid for the premium report where they showed our bacteria and the percentages to healthy controls. That is where the meat of the report was for us - what are the variances from healthy controls.

I also looked at what bacteria people with opposite conditions of us usually are high in and they were what we were low in, so that fit, too. We did the same with the nutrition and biomarker tests. We made some tweaks and improved, and will keep retesting and tweaking until everything comes out optimal.

The premium section also has sections, based on your bacteria levels, if you are likely to be low in things like vitamin K2, vitamin B12, have Celiac disease, etc. and most of those sections held fairly true for us (though not 100%) in follow up blood work testing.

I wouldn't pay for any of the probiotics from the gut testing companies. If you can match your health issues / bacteria anomalies to studies on Pubmed you may be able to find probiotics or fermented foods that reversed symptoms in patients or animal models. We picked up some fermented Korean sauce last night for DH and he is testing it out today. $2 a bottle from Grocery Outlet and it is a research based possible solution instead of some generic probiotic formula for $35 a month that may do more harm than good. Viome is another company that has marked their tests down to $79 on Amazon recently so I picked up one of those but haven't tried it out yet. They obviously are trying to make their money from the probiotics so just doing the tests only is getting pretty cheap.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Update - Looked at the Thryve report a little closer and I think the missing phylum part is more a reporting error on their part. Some of the reports seem to me to have conflicting data. One report showed we were very low compared to healthy controls and another very high for the same type of bacteria, so at best the reports are confusing.

The premium sections did point us in the right direction for follow up testing so for the modest price probably still made taking it worthwhile overall.

 

[tmm99]

...Turns out I’m sensitive to fructose and lactose. I adjusted my diet accordingly and haven’t had a problem since. I had been suffering digestive tract distress for at least five years and it had been getting worse.
The problem is the tests aren’t cheap and weren’t covered by my insurance. But it was worth every penny.

Does that mean you no longer eat any fruit?

 

[RetiredHappy]

If you have IBS, you are gluten intolerant. Also, stay away from sugar alcohol, i.e. sweetener with -tol as the last 3 letters. Gluten as in wheat, rye and barley. Skip gluten and sugar alcohol, your IBS will no longer be an issue.

 

[DayDreaming]

Update - Looked at the Thryve report a little closer and I think the missing phylum part is more a reporting error on their part. Some of the reports seem to me to have conflicting data. One report showed we were very low compared to healthy controls and another very high for the same type of bacteria, so at best the reports are confusing.

The premium sections did point us in the right direction for follow up testing so for the modest price probably still made taking it worthwhile overall.

Thanks - I didn't even look into the premium option yet. I'll take a look at that option and decide if I want to throw another $10 their way.

 

[bloom2708]

I can guarantee you "It is the food."

Eat less (or little) meat, fish, eggs, all dairy products and avoid oils.

Focus on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes. More fiber, less processed junk.

Hard? Not if you want to do it. Like most things. Good luck.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I can guarantee you "It is the food."

Eat less (or little) meat, fish, eggs, all dairy products and avoid oils.

Focus on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes. More fiber, less processed junk.

Hard? Not if you want to do it. Like most things. Good luck.

It likely isn't that simple. We all have different microbiomes, genes, lifestyles, toxin exposures, diets, exercise habits, etc. The best diet for one person might be poison to another. Like some disorders are linked to low uric acid and others to high uric acid. From the nutritionfacts site - "If our uric acid levels are too high, we can get gout, but, if they’re too low, it may increase our risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis."


It is largely the microbiome, though. Most of the major chronic diseases are all being linked to the gut now. Even brain diseases really start in the gut.