Dr. Smith blogged a while back on a new study that found three distinct gut types, or enterotypes, based on stool testing. Studying the gut microbiota is an exciting area of research, and will further our understanding of how our gut bacteria influence our health. We’re really only just beginning, though it’s clear that our gut bacteria play a major role in protecting our health.
The researchers of the gut type study have opened their labs to the public. They are offering to sequence your microbiome—for a hefty fee, however—all in the name of science and, well, hooking you up with others of similar gut type.
Ok, so it’s not a gut dating site or anything. Their real goal is to collect as much data as they can on the gut profiles of different people. It’s a study on its own—the researchers hope to recruit 5,000 participants for the study to be meaningful. So far (as of this writing) they have 155.
They’ve set up a website, called My Micobes, to recruit as many people as they can. It’s a neat idea. And they’re connecting like-bellied folks. What’s your gut type?