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The Microbiome Group, Dresden (2026)

24/03/2026

This study caught my attention. The initial finding wasn’t what you might expect. A clinical trial published in Scientific Reports looked at what happened when 29 healthy adults ate the equivalent of three servings of grapes a day for two weeks.

It’s in a high-impact, open-access journal in the Nature portfolio and the design was rigorous: Two weeks on a controlled baseline diet, two weeks with freeze-dried grape powder added in, then four weeks back to baseline without grapes.

Stool, blood and urine were tested at the end of each phase, examining both microbiome profile (with the same kinds of tests we use) and the compounds gut bacteria produced.

Overall gut bacterial balance didn’t dramatically shift, and diversity stayed mostly stable. But when people were eating grapes, their bodies started producing significantly higher levels of small compounds, detectable in blood and urine, that are made when gut bacteria break down grape polyphenols. These compounds rose during the grape phase, then returned to baseline after grapes were stopped. The effect was real, measurable, and reversible.

Importantly, these microbiome-made compounds are biologically active. Other research links them to heart health, inflammation regulation, cholesterol and bile metabolism, and antioxidant activity. This may go some way to explaining the positive impact of grape consumption on heart health and cholesterol levels in larger studies.

The most valuable takeaways of this study?

While eating grapes didn’t dramatically shift the bacterial profile of the microbiome, they changed how it *functioned*.

The trial also showed that not everyone responded the same way. Some people produced far more of these health-promoting compounds than others, likely because of differences in their baseline microbiome. This illustrates perfectly why treatment plans at The Microbiome Group are devised for each individual we work with.

Pezzuto et al (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34813-5

Image:1) Red grapes fill the frame 2) screenshot of title page 3) Screenshot of section of datavis.

✏️📸Viola

20/03/2026

I set out to write an AI policy. I didn’t expect what I found.

What started as professional obligation became a reckoning with something bigger: what AI is doing to wellness culture, to our clients and to the therapeutic relationship before a client even walks through the door.

The full story is on the blog now. Link in bio

✏️🎨 Viola

Video: cycles through quotes and headshots of the practitioner team on a magenta background. Please DM us for the full quotes if needed.

20/03/2026

I set out to write the world’s first AI policy in complementary healthcare. But what started as professional obligation became a reckoning with something bigger: what AI is doing to wellness culture, to our clients and to the therapeutic relationship before a client ever walks through the door.

The full story of why we felt it was so important to write our AI policy, and what we discovered, is on the blog now.

https://www.themicrobiomegroup.com/post/i-set-out-to-write-an-ai-policy-i-didn-t-expect-what-i-found

19/03/2026

Last weekend I spent a day with health practitioners from across Australia at the .vital.ly healthcare conference. I was joined by naturopaths, nutritionists, Integrative doctors, osteopaths, GPs and homeopaths, all exploring how we can improve patient outcomes through genuinely integrative practice.

What struck me most was how much the conversation kept returning to the same things: seeing health as a lifelong journey rather than a problem to be solved, building referral networks so patients get the right support at the right time, and making sure that as practitioners, we’re sustainable enough to keep showing up for the people who need us.

I came away with renewed conviction that the best outcomes for complex cases come from practitioners who know when to refer, who to refer to, and how to stay connected across disciplines.

At The Microbiome Group, that’s how we work...and days like this remind me why it matters.

✏📷 by Vicky

17/03/2026

Have we published the world’s first AI policy in complementary healthcare?! Our research (using AI and old-fashioned ways) couldn’t find any. And yet clients are aware that many practitioners are regularly using AI tools.

We recognise powerful potential in freeing us up to focus on our client work We also see AI’s potential to mislead.

We want to show everyone how and when we use AI tools — and where we refuse to. That’s what transparency and responsible innovation look like. In practice, this means:

➡️ Our living, breathing, fairly-paid Assistant Sara works closely with our practitioners and handles all enquiries — ensuring each person experiences the compassionate, individualised care we offer.

➡️ We are a team of women who bring to our work many years’ life experience, including our own health struggles and more than 45 years’ clinical experience between us. In this age of artificially high standards, we don’t use AI to erase our hard-won wrinkles — although we’re not beyond the occasional gentle glow-up when vanity prevails! The same commitment to honest representation applies to everything we share — we won’t use AI to generate images, audio or video, or overstate what Microbiome Analysis can achieve. In a wellness culture that increasingly uses AI to present impossible bodies, this matters deeply to us.

➡️ To protect our clients’ confidentiality, we don’t upload their details, case histories or microbiome data into AI tools. We draw on our experience of thousands of hours of Microbiome Analysis practice and extensive training to gain the best outcomes for our clients – we don’t use AI to write our treatment plans.

AI can’t access thousands of hours of clinical experience. It can’t replicate the training we’ve each completed, or the judgement that comes from years of practice. This policy sets out where AI helps us — and where we take over. Our clients’ trust in our expertise and integrity will always come first.

Would you ask your practitioner how they use AI in your care?

www.themicrobiomegroup.com/policies

16/03/2026

Honouring Long Covid Awareness month – 6 years since the world first went into Lockdown. Many clients we’ve worked with at The Microbiome Group developed Long Covid in those first few months (others as recent as 2025).

Having had ME/CFS myself, I recognised the potential for post-viral illness immediately. As the first Long Covid cases emerged, I began a case study programme to trial microbiome interventions in October 2020. This allowed me to test my hypotheses about the role of the microbiome in Long Covid – drawn from the medical literature at the time and my experience as a microbiome analyst (and 15 years previously in my craniosacral practice) specialising in fatigue conditions.

Once I began to see positive changes alongside microbiome changes in the case study programme, I opened my diary to Long Covid clients. My waiting list grew exponentially as people began sharing success stories with friends and others in patient groups. The urgent demand led me to establish The Microbiome Group and train up a team of practitioners in my approach.

We have now worked with hundreds of individuals with Long Covid. Everyone has reported improvements in symptoms alongside the microbiome changes — many significantly, some recovering fully, while others still have some symptoms six years on.

The research on Long Covid is growing. New journal articles have confirmed what we already know about the serious mental health impacts and complexity of symptoms involving multiple body systems, including the gut microbiome. New research raises concerning questions about lifelong impact, while other articles offer hope for treatment. Long Covid remains a major public health issue. We need dedicated research funding to understand, treat and prevent it

I had ME/CFS for 15 years, so have some insight into how difficult life can be six years in to such a devastating llness. Sadly, there are many who haven’t made it to this six-year milestone, because the intensity of their illness led them to take their own life.

My heart goes out to anyone affected by Long Covid, especially those still suffering and who have lost loved ones. I hope the information we share here, and the consultations we offer, will support more people to recruit their gut microbiome as a powerful anti-inflammatory force in their recovery.

✏️📸 Viola
Image: Viola, a white woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue roll-neck sweater, looks into the camera. Her expression is serious and thoughtful. Behind her is the edge of a picture frame on her consulting room wall.

12/03/2026

Having had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for nearly 4 decades, I was pleased to find the latest research investigating how diet influences inflammation in IBD through changes in the gut microbiome.

I must have tried every diet ever invented, with varied results on my IBD symptoms. I now happily eat a predominantly plant-based diet. Interestingly the research confirmed both Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) are made worse by diets rich in fat, sugar and animal protein, with those gut microbiomes being more likely to have increased pro-inflammatory bacteria.

Conversely, diets rich in plant-based, fibre-dense foods, such as the Mediterranean diet, were consistently associated with greater microbial diversity, higher levels of beneficial bacteria and increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

The researchers measured how diet changed the microbiome's role in immune regulation and intestinal barrier function. They suggest distinct pathways operate in different IBD types:
• In UC, diet appears to reduce inflammation mainly through restoring microbial diversity and overall microbiome function.
• In CD, the relationship involved specific bacterial groups and their products.

This is exactly what we have found as Microbiome Analysts. When IBD clients are in a flare, we often see higher levels of Proteobacteria that promote inflammation, such as Eschericia species. We also see a decrease in beneficial bacteria that make anti-inflammatory products, such as Faecalibacterium.

The researchers concluded that treatment of IBD should include dietary recommendations to bring about microbiome changes! It was gratifying to see the findings of this study further validate our work as Microbiome Analysts using microbiome testing to personalise dietary interventions that support the overall gut ecosystem and reduce intestinal inflammation.

REFERENCES:
Mayorga et al. (2026) Gut. DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2025-337480
Winter et al. (2013). Science. 339,708-711. DOI:10.1126/science.1232467

✏ by Vicky

10/03/2026

A very quick, delicious dish that fed a good range of beneficial gut bacteria. Using two precooked ingredients, it took less than 10mins prep time and 25mins in the oven at 180C.

I used precooked beets (ones i had boiled whole the day before as they are tastier than those bought precooked). I also used a bag of precooked beluga lentils, but home-cooked lentils (puy, brown or large green) would be even better. Both these ingredients are rich in prebiotic GOS and polyphenols. The olives and fresh thyme added further polyphenols, while the onion and leek added prebiotic inulin.Including the two different groups of prebiotic foods feeds a broader range of beneficial gut bacteria.

Ingredients (2 servings)
Cooked beets, 3 medium
Cooked lentils, 1 pack (250g)
Onion, finely chopped, 1 large
Leek, finely chopped, 1 medium
Crumbled feta, one 200g pack
Olives, 1 large handful, green and black
Fresh thyme
Olive oil mixed through

I served this with broad beans from the freezer and steamed winter greens, that boosted the number of plant ingredients from 8 to 11 to support microbiome diversity.

✏️ Viola

Image: a white bowl on a wooden surface, containing roasted beets mixed with black lentils and feta.

04/03/2026

Spices do far more than add flavour to food.

They also deliver concentrated plant compounds that actively support gut health. They are also surprisingly easy to incorporated into your daily diet.

🛡️ Spices provide powerful antioxidants in the form of polyphenols that help neutralise oxidative stress and protect cells from chronic disease.
🔥 Many spices, including turmeric, ginger, and cloves, contain compounds that help reduce inflammation and support immune and cardiovascular health.
🩸 Certain spices, such as cinnamon and chilli, can support blood sugar regulation by improving insulin sensitivity.
🦠 Several spices act as natural prebiotics, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and strengthening the gut microbiome.
❤️ Some spices support metabolic and heart health by helping regulate cholesterol, blood pressure, and energy metabolism.

Spices I use regularly include:
• 🌕 Turmeric contains curcumin, which helps block inflammatory pathways in the body. Add to vegetable curries, turmeric latte.
• 🍂 Cinnamon supports more stable blood sugar levels. Add to porridge, coffee and homemade granola.
• 🌰 Cloves are rich in eugenol, a potent antioxidant compound. Add to stewed apple.
• 🌶️ Chilli peppers contain capsaicin, which supports metabolism and glucose control. Make a chilli, garlic condiment.
• 🌱 Ginger is well supports digestion and has anti-inflammatory benefits. Add to curries.

From a microbiome perspective, spices are thought to have a prebiotic effect, and help to support beneficial gut bacteria.

Regularly using spices is one of the simplest ways to improve digestion, energy, and long-term metabolic health.

✏️Melody
📸 Vicky

👉 Book an Exploratory Call to learn how to use food strategies like this to actively support gut health and resilience.

Reference: Peterson CT et all (2019). Prebiotic Potential of Culinary Spices Used to Support Digestion and Bioabsorption. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Jun 2;2019:8973704. doi: 10.1155/2019/8973704.

03/03/2026

As someone who once had severe reactions to even trace amounts of gluten – living strictly gluten-free for over a decade – I was fascinated by a new study exploring how the gut microbiome may drive gluten sensitivity. After repairing my microbiome, I was able to reintroduce gluten, so this research feels relevant personally and professionally.

The study just published examined how changes in gut bacteria influence immune responses to gluten, that may cause non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, that affects around 1 in 10 people worldwide, mostly women. Despite negative coeliac tests, these individuals often experience bloating, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea, brain fog and fatigue.

Researchers gave mice common antibiotics (amoxicillin with clavulanate) to disrupt their microbiome, then reintroduced gluten. They focused on the duodenum — the early part of the small intestine, where gluten first meets the immune system.

The antibiotics changed microbial communities. Some bacteria decreased, while others, including Bacteroides, increased. These changes altered how microbes processed carbohydrates and fats, potentially influencing immune recognition. When gluten was reintroduced, there was more inflammation and a heightened immune response in the duodenum including more eosinophils (inflammatory white blood cells) in the intestinal lining.

Overall, the findings suggest microbiome disruption can change how the immune system reacts to gluten and an individual’s microbial profile may help determine whether gluten triggers symptoms.

Gluten is too often blamed for gut issues, yet removing it can also reduce nourishment for beneficial microbes. In some cases, FODMAPs in bread – not gluten itself – drive symptoms. For those with coeliac disease, strict avoidance is essential and microbiome support can compensate dietary losses. But for others, short-term avoidance should be alongside microbiome repair with the aim of reintroduction.

This study strengthens clinical observations that supporting the microbiome may help many people leave their restrictive diets behind.

If gluten causes you symptoms, see today’s blog for more info and book a call with my team (link in comments).

✏️📸Viola

REFERENCES
Pryor et al, (2026) American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal & Liver Physiology.
DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00159.2025

Shiha et al (2026) Gut.
DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2025-336304

For the full story: www.themicrobiomegroup.com/blog

26/02/2026

Marmalade isn’t usually a microbiome intervention we’d recommend in our treatment plans, but it’s still interesting to think about how it can support your gut health!

Citrus peels are rich in pectin, a soluble fibre that feeds beneficial bacteria and helps bulk and soften stools. Because marmalade uses citrus peel and pith, it contains more pectin than other fruit jams.

Like other jams, marmalade is a source of polyphenols. Citrus fruits polyphenols include the flavonoids hesperidin and naringenin that feed beneficial bacteria, support gut barrier integrity and have anti-inflammatory effects.

The combination of pectin and the citrus oils found in the peel may also gently stimulate digestion and support bowel regularity.

This rye sourdough with caraway added further fibre and polyphenols, as well as dietary diversity, and perhaps most important of all, further delight!

Seville orange season is just coming to an end in the UK and I am very grateful for this delicious jar made by a friend. Sunshine in a jar!

REFERENCE
Stevens Y et al. The Intestinal Fate of Citrus Flavanones and Their Effects on Gastrointestinal Health. Nutrients. 2019 doi: 10.3390/nu11071464. PMID: 31252646

✏️📸 Viola

Image: two slices of toast laden with orange marmalade containing an abundance of peel, on a white plate, resting on a pale blue textile surface.

24/02/2026

Another veg ferment started. This will add colour, plant diversity and live beneficial bacteria to my plate!

I used to enjoy teaching hands on fermentation classes — for several years in-person, and then during covid lockdown online. The process is simple: chop, salt, pack, wait…

Looking forward to tasting this one!

✏️📸 Viola

Video description: sprouts, beetroot, two carrots and a leek on a wooden chopping board, grated and chopped veg in a bowl, with salt, Viola’s hands squeeze juices from the veg, before pressing them into a jar. The final image is of a clip top jar containing the veg against a white wall.

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