With the StoolOMX add-on to the GI-MAP, practitioners can:

• Evaluate bile acid metabolism and its impact on fat digestion, microbiome health, and gut motility.
• Assess SCFA production, which reflects dietary microbial fermentation, inflammatory balance, and gut lining integrity.
• Gain actionable insights to design personalized treatment plans targeting gut optimization.

When combined with the GI-MAP, StoolOMX provides an unparalleled view into the root causes of gut dysfunction, helping to improve outcomes for patients experiencing digestive and systemic symptoms.

Understanding the StoolOMX Bile Acids Test

Recent studies show that up to 30% of patients with IBS-D are affected by bile acid diarrhea,¹ underscoring the importance of evaluating bile acids in clinical practice. Further, bile acid malabsorption is associated with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. StoolOMX is a comprehensive bile acid test that helps elucidate bile acid malabsorption so practitioners can more precisely identify the root causes of these prevalent gut disorders.

Bile acids are produced by the liver from cholesterol and play a critical role in fat digestion. The liver synthesizes primary bile acids and conjugates them to enhance solubility. These bile acids are stored in the gallbladder and released into the small intestine during meals to emulsify and absorb dietary fats.

Under normal conditions, most primary bile acids are reabsorbed, with minimal amounts excreted in stool. Primary bile acids are metabolized by gut bacteria to become secondary bile acids. In abnormal cases of excess production, bile acid malabsorption (BAM), or gut dysfunction, excess bile acids enter the colon, potentially causing inflammation and diarrhea.

Results from the StoolOMX bile acids test add-on to the GI-MAP can help identify underlying issues contributing to conditions such as:

• Bile Acid Diarrhea (BAD)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)(-C, -D, -M)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

StoolOMX sets a new standard in bile acid testing by leveraging advanced technology to measure more bile acids than anyone else in the industry, delivering unmatched precision in totals, percentages, and ratios for superior clinical insights.

Benefits of the StoolOMX Short Chain Fatty Acids Test

The short chain fatty acids test section of StoolOMX analyzes nine short chain fatty acids, providing deeper insight into gut function and microbiome health. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by gut bacteria during the fermentation of dietary substrates in the colon. These metabolites can be produced by either saccharolytic or proteolytic fermentation. The balance and ratios of these SCFAs offer essential insights into patients’ dietary patterns and digestive status.

The primary SCFAs — acetate, butyrate, and propionate — play crucial roles in maintaining gut health, immunity, and overall metabolic function.

SCFAs serve multiple functions, including:

• Providing energy for colon cells (butyrate is the preferred fuel for colonocytes)
• Strengthening the gut barrier and reducing intestinal permeability
• Regulating inflammation by promoting anti-inflammatory pathways and supporting immune balance

Balanced SCFA production reflects optimal fiber fermentation, a balanced microbiome, and a healthy gut barrier. High branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs) indicate excess proteolytic/putrefactive fermentation, which can promote inflammation. StoolOMX reports on each short chain fatty acid and provides a SCFA/BCFA ratio, which offers insight into diet, root causes of symptoms of constipation and diarrhea, and more.

Low or imbalanced SCFA levels or an altered SCFA/BCFA ratio may indicate:

• Insufficiency Dysbiosis or lack of microbial diversity
• Inflammatory Dysbiosis
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Poor diet quality

StoolOMX includes a short chain fatty acid test allowing practitioners greater insight into inflammation, dysbiosis, and more.