ADVERTISEMENT

Could Your Gut Bacteria Hold the Key to Your Health?

Could Your Gut Bacteria Hold the Key to Your Health?

(Bloomberg) -- The bacteria that live in the intestinal tract can affect digestion, weight gain, mood and how the body absorbs medicine. UBiome, a Silicon Valley startup, has built a company around sequencing gut bacteria -- which the founders think one day will become as common and medically necessary as a blood test. But it's a long road to that future. First they have to explain to people why they should care about their microbiomes. Next, they need to popularize a test that asks people to swab their toilet paper.

To contact the author of this story: Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net.

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.