It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, episode 2468, and I'm Dr. Neil Malick.

Hey there, happy Friday, and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily,

where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more.

You send in the questions, and I answer them for you.

And with that, let's hear today's question as we optimize your life.

Today's question came via email.

Brad writes,

Hey, Dr. Neal, I was wondering if you could revisit the topic of the microbiome,

the recent research surrounding it,

and the benefits and disadvantages of tests promising to analyze one's gut health.

I have been researching and considering purchasing a test to better understand my gut health,

which foods my body would prefer me not to eat, as well as what food, vitamins, etc., may be missing from my diet.

Any insight would be great. Love the show in your consistency and consideration you provide in the

commentaries. Thank you so much, Brad, for taking the time to send in your question. I'm thrilled

that you enjoy the podcast and find it so helpful. When it comes to the microbiome,

one of the biggest challenges when studying it is actually trying to define it. Even those that

specialize in studying it aren't really sure how to define it or even what to call it. Some use the term

microbiota as a synonym for the microbiome, but technically they're different.

What we can agree on is that, first, what we're talking about are the good bacteria found in the gut.

And again, we're talking about lots of them.

It's estimated that each person has anywhere from 10 to 100 trillion of these good bacteria in our

intestines. And again, these are good bacteria, meaning they keep us healthy. What's amazing is

...