Bacterial abundance ranges and Friends & Family study results
Bacterial abundance ranges and Friends & Family study results
This article explains how InnerBuddies used bacterial abundance ranges in its personalized ingredient advice V1, what the Friends & Family study setup looked like, and what the internal test results suggested. It also includes a short explanation of absolute abundance versus relative abundance, plus an FAQ covering common microbiome questions such as OD600, growth temperature, and how abundance values are interpreted.
What is InnerBuddies personalized ingredient advice V1?
InnerBuddies personalized ingredient advice V1 uses stool sample data to compare the abundance of selected gut bacteria against reference ranges from the InnerBuddies Healthy Cohort. The goal is to identify bacteria that fall outside the expected range and then translate those findings into ingredient guidance and weekly menu suggestions.
- We measure the abundance of the InnerBuddies top 35 bacteria in a stool sample.
- We compare each bacterium with its minimum and maximum range in the InnerBuddies Healthy Cohort.
- The top 35 list is grouped into positive, negative, and other relevant bacteria.
- When a bacterium is outside the reference range, it may be flagged as “be aware.”
- The advice is then mapped to 7 gut health categories, their pathways, and linked food groups.
- Each food item is associated with a daily suggested amount based on dietitian knowledge.
InnerBuddies regularly updates its Healthy Cohort definition using its customer database. The reference ranges are therefore intended to reflect the data the company has available over time, while still being interpreted in a careful, science-based way.
What do bacterial abundance ranges mean?
Bacterial abundance ranges describe the interval in which a given bacterium is typically observed in a reference group. In this article, the measured stool result is compared with a minimum and maximum value from the Healthy Cohort.
In simple terms:
- Below the range can mean that a positive or relevant bacterium is lower than expected.
- Above the range can mean that a negative bacterium is higher than expected.
- Within the range suggests the bacterium sits inside the reference interval used by InnerBuddies.
These ranges are used for educational and advisory purposes. They are not the same as a medical diagnosis and should not be interpreted as a stand-alone health assessment.
| Term | What it means | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute abundance | The estimated amount of a specific bacterium in a sample | Useful for comparing actual quantities between samples |
| Relative abundance | The proportion of a bacterium compared with the rest of the community | Useful for seeing how the microbiome is distributed |
| Reference range | The interval used as a comparison point against a Healthy Cohort | Useful for flagging values that may need attention in the advice logic |
Absolute abundance vs relative abundance
Absolute abundance describes the amount of a bacterium in the sample itself. Relative abundance describes how much of that bacterium is present compared with the total microbial community.
- Relative abundance values often add up to 100% across the full community.
- Absolute abundance values do not need to add up to 100%, because they represent quantity rather than proportion.
- Both views can be useful, depending on whether the goal is to compare community balance or actual bacterial amount.
In microbiome research, quantitative approaches are often used together to improve interpretation. For a broader understanding of how microbial measurements are handled, see the section below on how abundance is measured.
How is bacterial abundance measured?
Stool sample analysis can use several methods depending on the lab workflow and the question being asked. In microbiome studies, abundance may be estimated with sequencing-based methods, quantitative methods, or both. In general, researchers use these measurements to understand how much of a given taxon is present and how that compares across samples or reference groups.
For this article, the important point is that InnerBuddies compares the measured abundance of selected bacteria against internal Healthy Cohort ranges and then uses that comparison to build ingredient guidance.
For readers who want to explore the science behind quantification in microbiome research, terms such as metagenomics quantification, absolute abundance, and relative abundance are useful starting points.
What is the setup of the Family & Friends test?
InnerBuddies ran an internal Friends & Family test to better understand how the personalized ingredient advice performed in a small group. The team chose this format so they could observe follow-through more closely and learn from the practical experience before moving toward larger external studies.
- Participants: 50 people were enrolled, and 40 completed the full program.
- Duration: 4 weeks during September 2022.
- Samples: 4 stool samples per participant were collected across the test period.
- Sample 1: Collected in June 2022 and used to generate the personalized ingredient advice.
- Sample 2: Collected at the start of the 4-week period.
- Sample 3: Collected at the end of week 2.
- Sample 4: Collected at the end of week 4.
- Menus: Each participant received a personalized weekly menu based on the advice.
- Feedback: A questionnaire was used at the end of the test to collect participant experiences.
Some participants stopped halfway through because the weekly menu was difficult to fit into their regular work pattern. The final analysis therefore used data from the 40 participants who completed the full program.
What were the measured results of the Friends & Family test?
This internal test was not a formal clinical trial and was not designed to prove medical outcomes. It was an early-stage evaluation to see whether the advice could be followed and whether the microbiome measures moved in a favorable direction over the 4-week period.
To understand how follow-through may have influenced the results, participants were grouped into three categories:
- Green group: followed the personalized ingredient advice very well
- Yellow group: followed the advice reasonably well
- Orange group: followed the advice only in a limited way
The chart above shows how the three groups changed across the 4-week testing period. The vertical axis shows Pielou’s evenness, while the horizontal axis shows the number of OTUs, which is a common way to describe how many different bacterial groups were detected in the sample.
Key takeaways:
- The average number of OTUs increased from test 2 to test 3 to test 4, while evenness remained fairly steady.
- The green group generally showed higher evenness than the yellow group, and the yellow group higher evenness than the orange group.
- Because Shannon Index combines diversity-related factors, the higher-follow-through groups also tended to show higher gut microbiome diversity.
The Shannon Index chart shows a similar pattern. All three groups improved over time, and the green group generally outperformed the yellow group, which in turn outperformed the orange group. In this internal test, better follow-through on the personalized ingredient advice was associated with a higher diversity score.
Can personalized ingredient advice support micro-interventions?
InnerBuddies uses the term micro-interventions to describe small, targeted nutrition changes that may help nudge the microbiome in a more favorable direction. In this internal test, the results suggested that the advice could be translated into practical weekly actions over a relatively short period.
| Category | Observed change over 4 weeks |
|---|---|
| Shannon Index | + 5,17% |
| Number of OTUs | + 9,22% |
| Pielou’s Evenness | + 3,64% |
| Positive bacteria overall | + 8,85% |
| Barnesiella | + 18,42% |
| Butyricicoccus | + 19,26% |
| Roseburia | + 19,97% |
| Lactobacillus | + 24,56% |
| Faecalibacterium | + 0,21% |
| Akkermansia | + 96,69% |
| Bifidobacterium | + 23,54% |
| Hafnia-Obesumbacterium | + 52,61% |
| Christensenellaceae | + 8,46% |
| Ruminococcaceae | + 178,12% |
| Escherichia-Shigella | - 16,78% |
| Klebsiella | - 34,27% |
As shown in the table, the personalized ingredient advice was associated with movement in the desired direction for several tracked bacteria and diversity indicators during the 4-week program. These findings are best understood as internal pilot results rather than proof of clinical benefit.
What’s next for InnerBuddies?
InnerBuddies is developing an updated version of the personalized nutrition advice that shifts from a bacteria-abundance focus toward a bacterial pathway focus. The idea is to base recommendations more strongly on biological functions in the gut microbiome, which may be more stable across regions and diets than individual species alone.
- Focus on bacterial pathways and biological functions instead of only individual bacteria
- Use functions to help make recommendations more consistent across different populations
- Build more personalized ingredient advice from a broader view of the microbiome
- Explain recommendations in a more transparent and practical way for customers
InnerBuddies expected this V2 update to become available in Q1 2025 and was also preparing external clinical trials with university partners. Those future studies are intended to add stronger evidence and broader scientific review.
FAQ
What is the definition of bacterial abundance?
Bacterial abundance is a way to describe how much of a specific bacterium is present in a sample. It can be reported as absolute abundance or relative abundance, depending on the method used.
What does OD600 mean?
OD600, or optical density at 600 nm, is a laboratory measurement often used to estimate how cloudy a bacterial culture is. It is commonly used in microbiology to approximate growth in a liquid culture, but it is not the same as stool microbiome abundance.
What is the 30–37°C growth range?
Many bacteria can grow in a range around 30–37°C, depending on the species and conditions. In microbiology, temperature range is used to support culture growth, but growth behavior in a lab setting does not directly describe the full gut microbiome.
Does relative abundance add up to 100%?
Yes, relative abundance across the full microbial community generally adds up to 100%, because it represents proportion rather than quantity. Absolute abundance does not need to total 100%.
Is a healthy microbiome defined by one exact range?
No. Gut microbiome interpretation is more complex than a single number or one fixed range. Reference ranges can be useful, but they should be understood as part of a broader picture that includes study context, measurement method, and overall pattern.
References and scientific context
Microbiome quantification can be approached with a combination of sequencing and quantitative methods, and researchers often distinguish between relative and absolute abundance when interpreting results. InnerBuddies uses these ideas to build educational advice and to compare individual results with its Healthy Cohort ranges.