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Longevity pillar · Singapore

Gut Microbiome Testing in Singapore

The microbial ecosystem in your gut shapes digestion, immunity, mood, inflammation and metabolism. We sequence the microorganisms present in your sample and report both who is there and what they are functionally doing.

  • SMC-registered doctors
  • MOH-licensed clinic (HCSA)
  • Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road
  • Weekdays 10am-7pm · Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
  • Personal health concierge

What it measures

Species identification

Bacteria and other microorganisms present in your gut, identified from the DNA in your sample.

Microbial diversity

A diversity score plus the relative balance of beneficial vs opportunistic organisms.

Functional gene profile

What your microbes can actually do - short-chain fatty acid production, vitamin synthesis, metabolic capacity - not just who is there.

Dysbiosis and inflammation markers

Signatures associated with impaired barrier function, chronic inflammation, and altered immune signalling.

How the test works

Sample

At-home stool collection kit, shelf-stable for several days - no refrigeration required.

Turnaround

Your personal health concierge confirms the reporting timeline for your laboratory when your sample is collected.

Method

DNA sequencing of the microorganisms in your stool sample, mapped against reference databases.

Why this method

The report is read alongside your bloods and body composition by our medical team, then translated into a practical plan in an action-plan session. A test result on its own is not a plan.

What you'll learn

  • Whether your microbial diversity is in a healthy range.
  • Which beneficial species you are low in - and which opportunistic organisms may be over-represented.
  • Functional capacity for short-chain fatty acid production, B-vitamin synthesis, bile acid metabolism.
  • Markers suggesting dysbiosis, low-grade inflammation, or impaired barrier function.
  • Personalised dietary and prebiotic strategies likely to move your ecosystem.

Why gut health matters for healthspan

Healthspan is the number of years you spend in good functional health. The gut microbiome sits upstream of several systems that decide that: how you extract and store energy, how your immune system is trained, and how much low-grade inflammation you carry.[1]

Fibre-fermenting bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which feed the cells lining the colon and help maintain the barrier that keeps bacterial products out of the bloodstream. Reduced production of these compounds is a recurring finding in metabolic and inflammatory disease.[2]

Loss of microbial diversity has been described across obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular disease, and in ageing cohorts a microbiome that drifts toward an unusual, individualised profile has been associated with better health and survival in older adults, while a conventional profile tracked with poorer outcomes.[3], [4]

Diet is the strongest and fastest lever available. Controlled feeding work shows the composition of the gut ecosystem shifting within days of a major dietary change, which is why a repeat test after a deliberate dietary period is informative.[5]

Much of this literature is associative, and a microbiome profile cannot tell you that you have or will develop a disease. The report is a map of your current ecosystem and a baseline you can move.

Reading your report

Diversity score

How many different organisms you carry and how evenly they are represented. Higher diversity is generally associated with a more resilient ecosystem in adults.

Beneficial organisms

Levels of the fibre-fermenting and butyrate-producing species associated with barrier integrity, with a note where any are notably low.

Opportunistic organisms

Species that are unremarkable in small numbers but unhelpful when over-represented, reported as relative abundance rather than a pass or fail.

Functional capacity

What your microbes are equipped to do: short-chain fatty acid production, B-vitamin synthesis and bile acid metabolism, which often matters more than the species list itself.

Dysbiosis and inflammation signatures

Patterns associated with impaired barrier function and low-grade inflammation, flagged for your doctor to read against your bloods.

Doctor's interpretation

Your ecosystem read alongside symptoms, diet history and blood results in the action-plan session, then translated into specific dietary changes.

What moves the result

Fibre diversity

The number of different plant foods eaten each week is one of the most consistent correlates of microbial diversity in population studies.

Fermented foods

Regular fermented food intake has been associated with increased microbiome diversity and lower inflammatory markers in a controlled dietary trial.

Targeted prebiotics

Specific fibres feed specific organisms. Your report indicates which are likely to be worth adding for your profile rather than a generic supplement.

Antibiotic stewardship

Courses of antibiotics reshape the ecosystem for weeks to months. Where a course is clinically needed, we plan the recovery period around it.

Alcohol and ultra-processed intake

Both are associated with reduced diversity and with signatures of impaired barrier function.

Sleep, stress and exercise

The gut-brain axis runs both ways. Sleep debt and sustained stress alter gut function, and regular exercise is associated with a more diverse profile.

Who it's for

  • Anyone with chronic digestive issues - bloating, irregularity, food intolerances.
  • Patients with autoimmune symptoms, recurrent inflammation or skin conditions.
  • Athletes and high performers optimising recovery, energy and immunity.
  • Anyone making significant dietary changes who wants to measure the effect.

When to repeat: Every 3-6 months while actively changing diet or treating dysbiosis; otherwise annually.

How it fits the three pillars

No single test defines biological age. The microbiome sits alongside the other two pillars of longevity data - each reveals something the others cannot. Combine them for the most complete picture current medicine can offer.

Included in these tiers

Every tier includes a pre-test consultation, sample collection at our Orchard Road clinic, laboratory analysis, clinician-led interpretation, a written report and an action-plan session.

See the full longevity screening package list.

FAQ

Microbiome - frequently asked questions

Clear answers, written by our clinical team. Tap any question for its direct permalink, or reach out to your Personal Concierge for anything else.

  1. What does the microbiome test actually report?

    Your microbial diversity score, the balance of beneficial and opportunistic organisms, and a functional profile covering short-chain fatty acid production, vitamin synthesis and bile acid metabolism. Your concierge confirms the exact panel and laboratory before your kit ships.

  2. Do I need to stop any supplements or medications first?

    Antibiotics within the previous 4-6 weeks meaningfully change your microbiome - if possible we schedule sampling outside that window. Probiotics and most other supplements can usually continue; your concierge confirms specifics before your kit ships.

  3. Is the at-home kit difficult?

    No. The kit contains everything you need with written instructions. Collection takes a few minutes and the sample is shelf-stable for several days at room temperature.

  4. Will the test tell me what to eat?

    Your report includes personalised dietary insights based on what your specific ecosystem responds to. Translation into a practical plan happens in the action-plan consultation with our medical team.

  5. How often should I repeat it?

    Every 3-6 months if you are actively changing diet or treating dysbiosis, otherwise annually to track stability.

  6. How does my gut microbiome relate to longevity and healthspan?

    Gut bacteria ferment fibre into short-chain fatty acids that maintain the gut barrier and influence inflammation, immune regulation and how you handle glucose and lipids. Loss of diversity is a recurring finding across metabolic and inflammatory disease, and in older adults a distinctive rather than conventional microbiome profile has been associated with better health and survival.

  7. Can a microbiome test diagnose IBS or IBD?

    No. It maps your ecosystem and flags patterns associated with dysbiosis and inflammation. Diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease or infection requires clinical assessment and its own tests, which your doctor will arrange if indicated.

  8. Should I take probiotics based on my result?

    Sometimes, but a targeted prebiotic fibre and a broader range of plant foods usually does more than a generic probiotic capsule. Your report indicates which organisms are under-represented, and your doctor advises accordingly.

  9. How fast can my microbiome change?

    Controlled feeding studies show the composition shifting within days of a major dietary change, though a durable shift takes sustained habit change. Retesting after three to six months of a deliberate dietary period is where the value sits.

  10. Does the sample tell you anything about my small intestine?

    Very little. A stool sample reflects the lower gut. Where symptoms point to the small intestine, your doctor will consider different investigations.

Still have a question?

Your Personal Concierge replies within one business day - confidentially.

What this test does not tell you

  • It is not a diagnostic test for coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, infection or cancer. Those require their own investigations.
  • There is no single healthy microbiome. Results are read as a profile with strengths and gaps, not a score out of ten.
  • A stool sample reflects the lower gut. It says little about the small intestine, where some symptoms originate.
  • Day-to-day variation is real. Recent meals, travel and illness all move the picture, which is why sampling conditions are standardised.
  • Antibiotics in the previous four to six weeks meaningfully change results, so sampling is scheduled outside that window where possible.
  • Most published associations are correlational. A finding suggests a direction to work in rather than proving cause.

References

  1. [1] Lynch SV, Pedersen O. The human intestinal microbiome in health and disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2016;375(24):2369-2379.
  2. [2] Koh A, De Vadder F, Kovatcheva-Datchary P, Backhed F. From dietary fiber to host physiology: short-chain fatty acids as key bacterial metabolites. Cell. 2016;165(6):1332-1345.
  3. [3] Valdes AM, Walter J, Segal E, Spector TD. Role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health. BMJ. 2018;361:k2179.
  4. [4] Wilmanski T, Diener C, Rappaport N, et al. Gut microbiome pattern reflects healthy ageing and predicts survival in humans. Nature Metabolism. 2021;3(2):274-286.
  5. [5] David LA, Maurice CF, Carmody RN, et al. Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature. 2014;505(7484):559-563.

Ready to add microbiome to your longevity baseline?

Your personal health concierge coordinates the consultation, sampling, interpretation and action-plan session end-to-end.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Julian Ng, MBBS (University of Sydney), MSc Microbiology (NUS), Cert. Men's Health (SMHS)

Last reviewed 12 August 2026 · Next review 12 February 2027