Digestion
Bloating is a feeling of fullness and pressure, often accompanied by visible distension. At its root are usually gases produced when gut bacteria ferment undigested food. The common causes are intolerance to some foods, bacterial overgrowth and an imbalanced microbiome. In most cases it is benign — but persistent or worsening bloating is a reason to see a doctor.
≈17%
of adults experience bloating at least once a week[1]
2×
more common in women than in men[1]
60–70%
of the energy used by the cells of the colon comes from short-chain fatty acids made by gut bacteria[4]
How it shows up
Good to know
Some of the gas in the gut comes from the work of bacteria. A microbiome test does not look for the cause of complaints — it shows the composition and functions of your microbes, and the plan turns them into food choices. If the bloating is new, constant or getting worse, see a doctor first.
In depth
Open any card for the detailed material — with navigation between them.
How it works
Undigested food reaches the colon
Bacteria ferment it
Gases are released — hydrogen, methane, CO₂
The wall stretches → bloating
Your bacteria have something to say. Let them speak
BugSpeaks reads what your microbes are “saying” — and translates it into guidance for your diet.
Notice your pattern
Choose when your bloating appears — and read what is known about cases like it.
Your result
The Rych Index™ sums up the state of your gut microbiome on a scale from 0 to 100 — and the report shows its diversity, the balance between beneficial and opportunistic microbes, the potential for short-chain fatty acids and how your microbes break down food.
See what the report includesRych Index™ · gut health score
sample resultWhat we offer
BugSpeaks shows the composition and functions of your gut microbiome and turns them into a 12-week nutrition plan. The test does not look for the cause of complaints and does not make a diagnosis.
The test
A microbiome test does not look for the cause of bloating and does not make a diagnosis. It shows which microbes you have and how they break down food — information the 12-week plan uses to arrange your foods:
See the gut testThe potential of your gut microbes to break down lactose, fructose, gluten and histamine. It is not an intolerance or allergy test.
The potential of your microbes to make butyrate, acetate and propionate — substances produced when fibre is fermented.
The overall diversity of the microbiome and the ratio between beneficial and opportunistic microbes — ones that are usually present only in small amounts in healthy people. It is not a test for infection.
Foods by phase, with how often to eat them, arranged around your microbiome — instead of blanket bans.
Probiotic · coming soon
A fully individual formula, created specifically for you based on the probiotic species missing from your gut test.
Browse the productsA food supplement — not a medicine and not a substitute for a varied diet.
12-week plan
Not blanket bans, but specific foods by phase, with how often to eat them — arranged according to your test result.
How the plan worksTwo weeks with more vegetables, fibre and fermented foods and fewer highly processed products, chosen to suit your profile.
Reviews
Published with the customers' permission. Results are individual — every microbiome is different.
Toma Tanev
„I slept badly. I never connected it with my plate."
I took the test for digestion — I had written off my sleep. The plan emphasised foods for the gut–brain axis, which sounded like marketing to me. By the second month I was waking up less at night. I am not claiming it was only this, but I changed nothing else.
Stoyan Grigorov
„I bloated every evening and had got used to it."
I had tried plenty at random — gluten-free once, dairy-free another time, always something. The report showed that the bacteria which break down fibre were exactly what I lacked, and the plan started there. For the first three or four weeks I felt nothing. Then the bloating eased enough that I stopped keeping track of it.
Aleksandar Zhelyazov
„I switched off in the afternoons and blamed my age."
Honestly, I did not expect much. The plan was a nuisance at first — I had to buy things I never used. Somewhere in the second month I noticed I no longer reached for coffee at four in the afternoon. I am not a different person, but the day ends more easily.
Maria Todorova
„I tried creams for years without thinking about my gut."
My skin flared up for no clear reason. The report linked it to the state of my gut, so the plan started there rather than with my face. Not everything went away, but the redness calmed down enough that I stopped reaching for concealer every morning.
Kemal Kemal
„I did not go on a diet. I just saw what I was feeding."
I was putting on two or three kilos a year, and every restriction lasted me about a month. The test showed I had been feeding the bacteria that like processed food. The plan did not forbid anything, it rearranged. In five months I lost six kilos — slowly, but for the first time without counting calories.
Toma Tanev
„I slept badly. I never connected it with my plate."
I took the test for digestion — I had written off my sleep. The plan emphasised foods for the gut–brain axis, which sounded like marketing to me. By the second month I was waking up less at night. I am not claiming it was only this, but I changed nothing else.
Stoyan Grigorov
„I bloated every evening and had got used to it."
I had tried plenty at random — gluten-free once, dairy-free another time, always something. The report showed that the bacteria which break down fibre were exactly what I lacked, and the plan started there. For the first three or four weeks I felt nothing. Then the bloating eased enough that I stopped keeping track of it.
Aleksandar Zhelyazov
„I switched off in the afternoons and blamed my age."
Honestly, I did not expect much. The plan was a nuisance at first — I had to buy things I never used. Somewhere in the second month I noticed I no longer reached for coffee at four in the afternoon. I am not a different person, but the day ends more easily.
Maria Todorova
„I tried creams for years without thinking about my gut."
My skin flared up for no clear reason. The report linked it to the state of my gut, so the plan started there rather than with my face. Not everything went away, but the redness calmed down enough that I stopped reaching for concealer every morning.
Kemal Kemal
„I did not go on a diet. I just saw what I was feeding."
I was putting on two or three kilos a year, and every restriction lasted me about a month. The test showed I had been feeding the bacteria that like processed food. The plan did not forbid anything, it rearranged. In five months I lost six kilos — slowly, but for the first time without counting calories.
Toma Tanev
„I slept badly. I never connected it with my plate."
I took the test for digestion — I had written off my sleep. The plan emphasised foods for the gut–brain axis, which sounded like marketing to me. By the second month I was waking up less at night. I am not claiming it was only this, but I changed nothing else.
Stoyan Grigorov
„I bloated every evening and had got used to it."
I had tried plenty at random — gluten-free once, dairy-free another time, always something. The report showed that the bacteria which break down fibre were exactly what I lacked, and the plan started there. For the first three or four weeks I felt nothing. Then the bloating eased enough that I stopped keeping track of it.
A different angle
Medical tests and a microbiome test answer different questions. BugSpeaks does not replace the tests a doctor orders.
Medical tests
BugSpeaks
What they show
Markers that a doctor orders and interprets
The composition of your gut microbiome and what the microbes can do
Method
Targeted tests
Shotgun metagenomic sequencing
Nutrition guidance
From a doctor or dietitian
A 12-week plan based on your microbiome
BugSpeaks is a wellness product, not a diagnostic medical examination.
Related questions
Two ways to begin. If your complaints are about digestion or energy, start with the gut. If they show on your skin — start there.
