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E-Newsletter • March 2026 |
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Editor's E-Note
Testing, Testing
All it takes is a quick online search with the keyword “microbiome test” to see just how many companies are seizing this trending marketing moment in health care. As microbiome research expands in popularity and pop culture interest in the latest gut health biohacks hit social media, a growing list of businesses promise a way to offer niche insight into your unique microbial makeup and contend for a place in the limelight—and your wallet. Dietitians may balk when they see companies providing nutrition recommendations based on a questionable microbiome test, but the public eagerly jumps in. In this month’s E-News Exclusive, we ask what the research has to say about these tests and what RDs can say to their clients and patients when approached with questions about them.
After reading the article, visit TD’s website at www.TodaysDietitian.com to read the digital edition of our March/April issue, featuring our cover story, “The Fight for Fair Wages.” You’ll also find features on IBD and our annual TD10 celebration of 10 RDs across the country who are making an exceptional impact.
Please enjoy the E-Newsletter and give us your feedback at TDeditor@gvpub.com, and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.
— Heather Davis, MS, RDN, LDN, editor |
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Trends in Digestive Health: Are Microbiome Tests Worth It?
By Heather Davis, MS, RDN, LDN
You may be familiar with the scene. You’re talking to a new patient or client—or a stranger on the street who has a “quick” question for you—and they want to know if the microbiome test they took last month can really tell them how and what to eat. You take a deep breath and consider how to best answer this question.
The exploding market for at-home gut and/or vaginal microbiome tests suggests no shortage of consumer interest in digestive and reproductive health and personalized diet recommendations. Although the evidence supporting the tests’ ability to provide clinically appropriate and comprehensive individualized nutrition guidance is woefully lacking, can these tests potentially map the microbiome in ways that inform high efficacy custom probiotic blends or other helpful insights influencing the work that dietitians do? Let’s explore.
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Who Offers the Tests?
Direct to consumer (DTC) or at-home microbiome testing kits are sold by a wide range of companies globally. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, put together a report in December 2023, identifying 31 different companies worldwide selling these products.1 Of the 31 identified companies, nearly half of them also sold supplements and included specific recommendations for these supplements in their test results and feedback to the consumer. The report also found that, of the companies operating out of the United States, only 12 of 27 claim to use labs that abide by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 regulations, which include federal standards applicable to all US facilities or sites that test human specimens for health assessment or to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease.2
These testing kits typically range in price from $120 to $400 and include a report showing a snapshot of the types of microbes present in the submitted sample at the time of collection. Many companies also provide diet or nutrition recommendations, although there’s a lack of evidence to support this practice. Some companies also offer specific types of probiotics to help correct supposed microbiome imbalances. Importantly, these tests are not regulated in the same way as FDA-approved lab tests.3
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Teens Using AI Meal Plans Could Be Eating Too Few Calories—Equivalent to Skipping a Meal
Many teens dealing with weight issues are turning to AI models to help them create meal plans with the aim of losing weight. But a new study shows that the resulting plans may not always adequately cover necessary nutrients and calorie intake. Researchers in Turkey compared the meal planning abilities of five AI models, prompting them to create meal plans for teenagers trying to lose weight and compared the results against the recommendations of an RD. They published their findings in Frontiers in Nutrition.
“We show that diet plans generated by AI models tend to substantially underestimate total energy and key nutrient intake when compared to guideline-based plans prepared by a dietitian,” says Dr Ayşe Betül Bilen, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Istanbul Atlas University. “Following such unbalanced or overly restrictive meal plans during the teenage years may negatively affect growth, metabolic health, and eating behaviors.”
Iron Deficiency Blocks the Growth of Young Pancreatic Cells
The beta cells in the pancreas act as highly sensitive sensors that constantly measure the amount of sugar in our blood. As soon as we eat something and the sugar level rises, the beta cells produce insulin to help the body process the sugar properly. This process requires an enormous amount of energy from the cells, which they generate in their own internal power stations, the mitochondria. Research now shows that iron is the crucial fuel that enables these power plants to function during cell growth.
"During the development of beta cells, there is a particular moment when they are particularly vulnerable", explains Annelore Van Mulders, from the beta cell neogenesis research group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and lead author of the article. “At this stage, young beta cells open their 'doors' wide to iron via a special receptor. When we blocked the supply of iron, the cells were unable to progress to adulthood and died."
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CPE Monthly
In the March/April issue of Today’s Dietitian, learn about the research related to alpha-gal syndrome. Read the CPE Monthly article, take the 10-question online test at CE.TodaysDietitian.com/CPEmonthly, and earn two CPEUs!
Upcoming Webinars
Get ready for summer with three hot webinars coming up in June!
🔥 June 5: The Biotics: Powerful or Pointless for GI Conditions? Everything You Need to Know About Pre-, Pro-, and Postbiotics?
🔥 June 10: When You're the Clinician and the Dietitian
🔥 June 24: Rewriting the Recipe: Confronting Ageism & Advancing Age-Friendly Nutrition Care
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In the May/June Issue
• The Role of Nutrition in Endometriosis
• Emulsifiers, Dysphagia, & Gut Health
• Interdisciplinary Care Starts Here
• Promoting Agricultural Resilience
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COVER STORY
The Fight for Fair Wages
RDs discuss what has long been considered “the elephant in the room” in dietetics: inadequate compensation and institutional imbalance that threaten long-term viability of the profession. Read more about what some are saying is required to make a change.
FEATURE
A New Consensus on Dietary Therapy for IBD
A consensus statement released last fall by the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation reviewed the body of evidence for dietary therapies for inducing and maintaining remission. RDs offer insight on the changes and implications for clinical practice.
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