Gut Health Tests
Take control of your digestive health through a simple at-home test.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
TAKING THE GUESSWORK OUT OF DIGESTIVE HEALTH
Digestive problems are a common source of discomfort for people worldwide. It’s not always easy to work out what’s wrong if you’re suffering from regular bouts of bloating, cramps, flatulence, diarrhoea etc.
Specialists in gut health often use diagnostic tests, including hydrogen methane breath tests (HMBT), to help find out what the problem is. By finding out what’s wrong, you can start treatments or make changes to your diet that will make your life easier and mean you can start living more comfortably.
TECHNOLOGY
WHAT IS A GUT HEALTH BREATH TEST?
We work with our partners at the Functional Gut Clinic to provide fast, trustworthy breath tests to help people take control of their digestive health.
Breath tests can be used to help diagnose small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or dietary intolerances such as lactose (milk) intolerance or fructose (fruit) intolerance.
To ensure accurate results, you may need to do a few things, such as stop taking certain medications, for up to four weeks before doing your test.
Doing the test is easy. You just blow through the straw provided into the collection tubes at the right times and write down any symptoms you’re experiencing. The whole test takes a little over two hours (SIBO) or three hours and twenty minutes (intolerances).
Once you’ve done your test, post it back to us and you will receive your results in a report in just a few days.
THE PROCESS
HOW DOES THE BREATH TEST WORK?
These breath tests detect small amounts of hydrogen and methane gases in your breath. Our bodies cannot produce these gases themselves, they are made by micro-organisms living in our intestines. Many people breathe out these gases, but too much of these gases can be a sign of illness.
In SIBO, the bacteria in your small intestine can convert the sugar you eat into hydrogen and methane.
In intolerances, the sugars you’re intolerant to don’t get absorbed by your body so the micro-organisms in your large intestine convert them into hydrogen and methane.
Some of the hydrogen and methane causes flatulence, the rest is absorbed into your blood where it makes its way to the lungs and you breathe it out.
PURCHASING
HOW CAN I PURCHASE A TEST?
Currently breath tests for SIBO and food intolerances are only available to people in the UK.
If you are a patient looking to purchase a test yourself, please fill in the form below and the team will be in touch. We will recommend one of our associated consultant specialists who can guide you through treatment if required after testing.
If you’re a specialist UK-based clinician please fill in the form on our dedicated page for healthcare professionals and we will be in touch.
NEXT STEPS
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I PURCHASE A TEST?
Once you have completed and sent back your test, the results will be sent to your own consultant, or one of our recommended consultants, who will talk you through the results and arrange treatment if appropriate.
