See how Tiny Health compares to other gut health tests

Our gut health test can be used by any family member. We’re the first-ever gut health test for babies 0-3 years of age, but we also have gut health insights for children 3-17 years old, and regular adults as well as during pregnancy. We also have a vaginal health test. Please head over to https://www.tinyhealth.com/store to see our full product suite

We use a stool test collected with a lab-certified sampling swab from soiled tissue paper.

The process is simple and unlike other tests on the market, Tiny Health doesn't require gloves, a spoon-like collection device, or that you handle stool at all, other than on a regular tissue paper.

The sample is then stored in the included container and zippered back and mailed back to us on the prepaid envelope included with your kit.

Microbiome health as a field is relatively new compared to medicine in general. However, human microbiome research has grown over the past 10 years and rose exponentially in the past five years as sequencing technology became more affordable.

There are now more researchers looking closely at how the microbiome is related to health and disease. When it comes to the baby microbiome and associations with health or disease, some very clear patterns have emerged. We pull data and reference high-quality research that is reproducible and gives consistent results. This way, you can be confident in the information that we share.

Conventional medical practitioners don’t get training for microbiome health and as such, are not always familiar with the latest research and recommendations in this field of medicine.

However, our tests are developed by a team of leading pediatric scientists and physicians who are on the cutting edge of this impactful field.

Often, it’s up to your doctor to keep up on the latest research and most don’t have the time. In addition to this, it can take 10 - 15 years for academic research to be put into medical practice. So it’s possible that your doctor hasn’t heard about the gut microbiome. 

But that doesn’t mean that it’s something to wait on.

Especially during pregnancy and the first few years of life. Recent studies show just how important the microbiome is to your baby’s immune development. You can use microbiome testing to make sure your baby has bacteria that protect health.

Not at all. Unlike DNA testing, conditions associated with the microbiome are reversible and risks can be reduced by taking preventative measures. Instead of just being worried about it, you can take the recommended actions and get some well-deserved peace of mind.

• A full breakdown of what we find in your baby’s gut microbiome
• Your baby’s Tiny Health Gut Type
• Key Insights about your baby’s microbiome and what this means for their health
• Condition Biomarkers, which may give you clues about what’s happening in your baby’s body and the risk for specific conditions 
• Associations between any symptoms your baby might have and their microbiome
• Practical tips and recommendations that are unique to your test results
• A personalized note from Tiny Health’s microbiologists and immunologists

Dairy products and young children can be tricky to navigate. Lactose intolerance refers to trouble digesting the milk sugar, lactose. This is different from cow milk protein allergy, which involves an immune response.

Cow milk protein allergy is somewhat common in babies whereas lactose intolerance is very rare in children under the age of 5 years old.

There are a few types of lactose intolerance:

1. Primary lactose intolerance: This is rare in babies and all about genetics. In this case, the body cannot make enough of the enzyme, lactase. This is the enzyme that helps break down and digest the lactose milk sugars.

Primary lactose intolerance is not caused by gut microbes. But symptoms may improve with helpful bacteria like Streptococcus thermophilus.

2. Secondary lactose intolerance: This is all about damage to the gut lining. Lactose digestion takes place in the small intestine and when the lining of the small intestine is damaged, we see secondary lactose intolerance. Which makes it hard to digest lactose. Usually this happens in adults after a long period of gut inflammation.

Secondary lactose intolerance can be caused by gut microbes if these microbes are making the gut inflamed. Repairing an injured gut and clearing inflammation can help support the digestion of lactose.

If your child is having issues with dairy it is important to talk to their healthcare provider to help understand the cause. In older children, lactose intolerance is often diagnosed by dairy elimination and/or a hydrogen breath test.

Here at Tiny Health we can provide you with helpful information like, “Does the gut have lots of signs of inflammation? How can I help to reduce inflammation?” and “Do I have beneficial S. thermophilus in my gut?”

There is no gut microbiome test that can detect lactose intolerance.

At Tiny Health we can help you understand your gut health and how it may contribute to symptoms of lactose intolerance.

While microbiome testing does not test for food allergies, we can show associations between your baby’s gut microbiome and their symptoms of eczema or allergies. Or the potential risk of these conditions developing.

How do we do this? We use something called biomarkers.

Microbial biomarkers are bacteria associated with a higher or lower likelihood of developing a particular condition. But not everyone with biomarkers will have that condition. And everyone with a condition may not have the biomarkers.

Microbial biomarkers are developed from research. The Tiny Health Bioinformatics Pipeline uses a custom built database of over 120K complete microbial genomes. We sift through the research surrounding the microbiome and use this information to develop a  list of bacteria that we feel are important to track in early life.

Beyond the gut, there are a lot of other factors that also contribute to these conditions. Like genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures.

How can Tiny Health help?

If your child already has eczema or food allergies, it is likely that their gut could use some support! This is where Tiny Health would love to help provide insight. If your child does not have any symptoms, let’s check in on the gut and see how we can help keep things on track.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to detect specific allergies or sensitivities through any gut microbiome test.