Lucy Mailing

This article was originally published in June 2018 as “The benefits of comprehensive stool testing” and was updated in October 2021 to reflect the latest research, my updated testing philosophy, and current recommended tests. Stool and microbiome testing can help identify bacterial imbalances, yeast infections, parasites, and more. But not all stool tests are accurate, and some can be flat-out misleading.

Minireview Jonathan Sholl, Lucy J. Mailing, Thomas R. Wood Danielle A. Garsin, Editor DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00579-21 ABSTRACT There is a broad consensus in nutritional-microbiota research that high-fat (HF) diets are harmful to human health, at least in part through their modulation of the gut microbiota. However, various studies also support the inherent flexibility of the human gut and our microbiota’s ability to adapt to a variety of food sources, suggesting a more nuanced picture.

Exercise is associated with altered gut microbial composition, but studies have not investigated whether the gut microbiota and associated metabolites are modulated by exercise training in humans. We explored the impact of 6 wk of endurance exercise on the composition, functional capacity, and metabolic output of the gut microbiota in lean and obese adults with multiple-day dietary controls before outcome variable collection.