Thorne Vs. Viome: Which Gut Health Test Is Better?

Are you trying to decide between Viome and Thorne for an at-home gut health test? While Viome provides 20 test results in one using mRNA sequencing, Thorne tests based on a set of health pillars using DNA sequencing. Which one is going to provide you with the insights to turn your gut health around? In this rundown, I'll cover the experience with both to help you "go with your gut" when making the right decision.

The Hot Takes of Viome vs. Thorne

Overview of Viome Gut Intelligence Test

Viome's Gut Intelligence test is a foundational test to help you detect imbalances in the gut that may be translating to both digestive and whole-body symptoms. It offers more than 20 specific scores to help you get an idea of where your gut health stands using different indicators. This is important because a person who has adequate levels of some bacteria strains may be dangerously deficient in others.

Something that makes this test really interesting is the way that it actually helps you to understand how your gut is interacting with your diet. When your gut microbiome is out of whack, even healthy foods can cause painful side effects because you don't have the ability to properly break down and digest various elements. This can be so meaningful if you're someone who is living in constant confusion about why you're feeling sick even though you eat so well!

If you're someone dealing with vague and persistent inflammation, you may be feeling hopeless because it's very hard to find doctors willing to dive into the inflammation journey with you. Inflammation may originate in the gut because our bodies will send out inflammatory responses when we are unable to break down foods due to lack of healthy bacteria and enzymes. When this happens, food molecules actually get flagged as "invaders" that must be attacked by the immune system. Ultimately, our bodies end up attacking their own tissue.

Viome's test also gives you an inside view of the supplements that can help to balance out your gut health. You'll also get recommendations for specific probiotic strains and prebiotic fibers that can restore balance in your gut.

Viome goes beyond ordinary gut health to provide results telling you how you can optimize your unique glycemic response to food. This is a big deal because your glycemic response plays a role in everything from weight gain to energy levels.

Next, let's talk about how Viome does all of this using a simple at-home gut test.

How Does Their Gut Health Test Work?

Viome uses gene-expression testing to use stool samples to unlock insights about your gut health. Using your sample, lab experts will analyze your microbiome and cells with mRNA technology.

The first step is just ordering your kit. When it arrives at your home, you'll register the kit to ensure that the samples you send back are connected to you. The best part about this kit is that you'll be given everything you need to collect, package, and ship your sample to Viome's CLIA-certified lab without any visits to a doctor or testing center.

When shipping your sample, you'll also send in a questionnaire that asks about your lifestyle, health history, allergies, and any medications you're currently taking.

When Do You Get Results Back?

Viome sends you digital results within two to three weeks. Viome's at-home gut test delivers scores related to inflammatory activity, your ability to break down foods, the presence of opportunistic (bad) microbes, how microbes are impacting blood sugar, and much more. In addition to showing you 20 different health scores spanning different aspects of gut health, the company will also include some personalized insights.

Results come with a personalized list of food recommendations based on your gut microbiome. You'll also get supplement recommendations for minerals and vitamins that can help to fortify your gut health based on your scores. Of course, what may be the most important part is the "probiotic report" detailing the specific probiotic strains you need to help your good gut bacteria to overtake your bad gut bacteria. This portion of your results also includes prebiotic recommendations to help you feed your good bacteria using natural fiber sources.

Pros:

• No visit to a doctor or lab!
• Directions are easy to follow.
• Provides unprecedented insights into the state of your gut microbiome.
• Personalized recommendations for how to correct and optimize gut health.
• Great for potentially providing answers about mysterious health issues that originate in the gut.
• You'll avoid wasting money on supplements or probiotics you don't need by getting a targeted report about what your gut lacks.
• FSA/HSA eligibility.

Cons:

• Viome does try really hard to push you into a subscription for recurring tests every four to six months to track progress.

Cost and Where to Buy

The Gut Intelligence Test should be ordered directly through the Viome website to avoid imitations. While the regular price for the kit is $249, you can usually grab it for just $179 on Viome's website. The one-time cost covers the kit, testing, and test results. You will not need to pay extra to access your lab results once you've ordered your kit.

Overview of Thorne Gut Health Test

Thorne offers an at-home testing kit for people suffering from digestive discomfort that they can't quite pin down. Unlike at-home gut tests that are designed to help people get a general idea of how their gut microbiome looks, this test is intended specifically for diagnostic purposes when you want to try to figure out why you're suffering with digestive distress. Thorne specifically recommends this product for someone struggling with the following:

• Routine constipation or diarrhea.
• Excessive gas, bloating, abdominal pain, or nausea.
• Persistent heartburn.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• A history of heavy antibiotic use.
• Low energy, fatigue, or brain fog.

How Does Their Gut Health Test Work?

Thorne's at-home gut health test uses genome sequencing from a stool sample to analyze your gut microbiome to identify risks.

The process starts when you order your kit online. Once the kit arrives at your door, you'll activate your kit online to complete a health profile. Next, you'll use the instructions included with the kit to collect your sample before packing everything up for shipment to the lab.

When Do You Get Results Back?

It takes five to six weeks to get your results back from Thorne. In addition to providing a report, Thorne also sends along personalized insights and recommendations for improving gut health.

Pros:

• No visits to a doctor or lab.
• Directions are easy to follow.
• Tests for a wide range of indicators.
• FSA/HSA eligibility.

Cons:

• Details on the testing process seem vague.
• Results can be difficult to understand on your own.
• Testing ambitions seem a little bit broad and undefined.
• While it's nice that Throne offers a way to order gut supplements, it can feel like you're getting pushed into expensive annual subscriptions.

Cost and Where to Buy

Order directly from the Thorne website to ensure you're getting the real deal. Each kit costs $198. While you'll need to pay for any supplements you sign up for, the kit price is a one-time cost that covers the kit, testing, and results.

Comparing Viome and Thorn

While these tests are similar, there are some key differences that need to be discussed. The two companies use completely different technologies to assess gut health.

Comparing Gut Health Tests

The big difference in testing between Viome and Thorne comes down to DNA versus mRNA. While both use gene sequencing, Viome analyzes your microbiome and cells using mRNA technology on an AI-powered platform. Throne uses something called "whole genome shotgun sequencing" using DNA.

Generally, mRNA is considered to be a more reliable method of measuring health because it changes in both sequence and abundance in response to genetic, epigenetic changes, and external factors. In contrast, DNA offers a static measurement that may not take into account lifestyle and environmental exposure. We know that mRNA tends to offer a more accurate picture of disease progression due to the fact that mutations are not always detectable at the DNA level. Of course, one obvious reason why mRNA can be a more accurate method for wellness testing is that mRNA is simply more abundant in our bodies compared to DNA. This makes it easier to pick up biological signals.

If we're talking about user experience, both Viome and Thorne offer incredibly user-friendly, easy testing kits that make the process so simple!

Comparing Results and Data You Get

Viome and Thorne both provide their customers with treasure troves of data regarding what's going on in the gut microbiome. Viome really knocks it out of the park by providing 20 "scores within the score" to help you see exactly where different aspects of gut health stand. This gives you an instant way to see where your gut health looks good, where you're suffering, and where a little improvement can help. Looking at these scores can help you to instantly get a snapshot connecting symptoms you're experiencing to deficiencies in your gut health.

While Thorne offers some great insights, only Viome goes line by line to cover all of the different functional indicators of imbalance and disease within the gut. Meanwhile, Thorne focuses on company-defined pillars. While these pillars represent core aspects of gut health, the customer may not know exactly what to do with the information because it's not as able to be universally interpreted the way that Thorne's 20 scores can be.

Comparing Cost and Overall Value

Both gut health tests can provide incredible value for someone who wants answers. Both are going to leave you in a position of knowing more about your gut than you did before you completed a kit. With most people who order Viome kits paying the sale price of $179, the Viome kit is actually cheaper than Thorne's $189 kit. The fact that Viome gives you mRNA sequencing for your gut microbiome instead of DNA testing means that you're basically paying less for a better technology. Overall, Viome's insights and reports are slightly superior compared to Thorne.

Main Differences Between Thorne and Viome

As we covered, Viome uses the more reliable form of mRNA sequencing instead of static DNA testing. That means that you're going to get richer insights about the gut you have today instead of the gut you were born with. Additionally, Viome gives you results in about half the time compared to Thorne. Waiting six weeks for Thorne results can be frustrating if you're ready to start making changes now!

Which Gut Health Test Is Better: Viome or Thorne?

I like both of these gut tests. While I don't think you'll be getting ripped off by going with Thorne, I do think you'll be settling for a lesser technology. For the price, Viome offers something that was only available in world-class clinics just a few years ago. The fact that it is now a mainstream option that you can do from home is incredible because ordinary people now have access to cutting-edge sequencing to determine gut health based on both genetic and lifestyle factors.