Interest in MeBO gut dysbiosis study in the UK

Are you interested in the MeBO gut dysbiosis study in the UK ?

MeBO is currently setting up a small study through Biolab in London for the testing of a few biomarkers of various types of gut dysbiosis. At the moment, MeBO cannot cover funding of such testing, since it has only been in operation for one month, so anyone volunteering would need to pay for their own tests.

The 4 tests chosen are the following (with financial concerns in mind), and sufferers may test for any or all of them :

Indicans urine test £13 (can be done from home)
D-lactate blood test £12 (requires a blood sample)
Biolab gut fermentation test £46 (must attend Biolab)
Gut permeability test £75 (urine test. can be done from home)

The results will be collated to see if there are any patterns. Two researchers have kindly accepted to oversee the project and interpret the results. Each person will receive a copy of his or her results.

If anyone is provisionally interested they could send an email to meboresearch@gmail.com expressing interest and indicating which tests they would like to do. MeBO will sort out the testing procedure in the next few weeks. Since Biolab is in London, it seems it may only be viable for testers in the UK & Ireland and neighbouring countries. The indicans test can be done from home, but blood must be drawn for the d-lactate test, and the lab must be attended for the gut fermentation test. Biolab could also do the d-lactate test there on the same day.

The study is especially aimed at investigating 'fecal body odor syndrome', including anyone who has been diagnosed positive for TMAU, but since testers are paying, anyone with a body odor or halitosis problem may test. Testers will be required to fill out a short questionnaire so as to determine what type of odor problem each tester has.

More details will follow later

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Overview:
The object of the study is to test some biomarkers for general gut dysbiosis.

At the moment, for 'fecal body odor syndrome', it is not known what the factors are, but the suspicions lie within the following areas :
genetics : FMO3 in particular
metabolism : Possible metabolic weakness
detoxification : especially the biotranformation enzymes
gut ecology : especially gut dysbiosis
vitamin/mineral status

This study is looking at certain biomarkers of gut dysbiosis, including gut candidiasis.

1. Indicans test: Indicans would be a straightforward and inexpensive way of looking for intestinal toxaemia and overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria, and would be an interesting approach, requiring a mid-stream, early morning, urine sample.
2. D-lactate test: D-lactate is a specific bacterial metabolite and would not normally be found in blood unless there is a bacterial infection. So for patients with gut symptoms it looks as if this might be an interesting way of looking for intestinal infections. The symptoms of such infections can be quite wide-ranging and a recent publication found a correlation with chronic fatigue (suggesting there may be a bacterial cause).
3. Gut fermentation profile: Involves gas chromatography technique. Tests for alcohols associated with gut candidiasis and bacterias.

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UPDATE 26NOV09:

The form to test in MeBO-Biolab Gut Dysbiosis Study is here :
MeBO-Biolab gut dysbiosis in body odor or halitosis study form-REVISED

Donate to MeBO Research

What MeBO is doing

MeBO Research aims to become a charity focusing on systemic body odor and systemic sourced halitosis, particularly 'bowel smells' body door, since it is the most common. Any donations are welcome to primarily reach MeBO's aim of charity status. As a charity, MeBO can then pursue grants and endowments in order to carry out large-scale international studies.

related links :
http://www.biolab.co.uk/
Dr Myhill article on Biolab gut fermentation test
Interview with Mark Howard : Biolab manager