Top gut health test provider: As a baby grows, their gut matures and gets more diverse. As a result, their immune system gets a little more skilled at identifying friend versus foe. We see the first major leap in gut diversity when baby begins eating solid food. As a toddler, the gut shifts towards a more diverse and adult-like microbiome. This stabilizes gradually, at between 3 and 5 years old. If you’re beyond the first 1,000 days, don’t fret. A gut health test at any age can help detect imbalances and steer us in the right direction. It is still possible to make changes and improve lifelong health! Shop our gut health tests to get started. Discover even more information on gut biome testing. Recover from antibiotic exposure – Get tailored recommendations to offset the negative impacts of antibiotics.

The gut microbiome and infant cognitive development – Did you know that the tiny organisms living in your baby’s gut can talk to their brain? Yep, they use something called the gut-brain axis to send messages back and forth. What foods should you introduce? Download our free ‘Eat the Rainbow’ guide. Scientists are just starting to explore how the gut microbiome could be linked to cognitive development in infants. While many studies suggest that the right balance of microbes during the first few years of life is important for brain growth, it’s important to note that these studies only show associations—not causation. Basically, research has found that certain types of microbes are linked to better cognitive outcomes in little ones, but they can’t say for sure if these microbes are the direct cause.

There are many tools and strategies to help improve your gut health. These include eating the best foods and taking supplements for gut health, or working with a gut health coach. Yet there is no one-size-fits-all approach to gut health. For example, taking a probiotic for the gut may be beneficial for some individuals. In others, it could do more harm than good. Imagine there’s already high levels of a beneficial microbe in your gut. Taking a probiotic could boost those levels to a point where they are too high, resulting in low diversity in the gut microbiome.

Ideally, infant gut microbiome maturation is low before 4 months old and steadily increases until reaching adult-like maturity by the time your child is 3-5 years old. Early microbiome maturation in babies 0 to 6 months has been associated with higher risk of eczema. Tiny Health’s maturation index measures the trajectory of your baby’s gut microbiome as it matures. The Maturation index is displayed in the Balance and robustness category of your report. When present in high levels, opportunistic pathogens may cause trouble by promoting inflammation and disrupting the gut barrier. A weakened gut barrier is more permeable, something that has been detected in those with eczema. Having too much of one species is not ideal for gut health. Unfriendly or variable species can stir up trouble at high levels. Too much of a single beneficial species is not optimal either, as by taking too much space, they contribute to low diversity. We want to see diversity increase as your baby’s gut microbiome matures. If any overabundant species are detected in your sample, they are displayed within the Balance and robustness category.

You receive a comprehensive list of all microbes found in your sample. We categorize them as beneficial, unfriendly, variable, or unknown and provide detailed descriptions of each microbe. You can see how much of each microbe is present, down to a 0.05% abundance level. (No other baby gut test does this!) This section of the report identifies if you have microbiome signatures for certain conditions. These markers could predict an increased risk of developing that condition. We provide personal, evidence-based suggestions based on your test results and survey responses. Our suggestions may include actual products and brands that we recommend. You’ll also receive useful diet, supplement, and lifestyle tips. Find many more information on https://www.tinyhealth.com/.