Viome Review: The Future of Wellness

About Viome

Viome may be one of the greatest modern-day examples of health product innovation. They stand alone in what they’ve managed to achieve using AI-powered technology to deliver personally customized health supplements.

How it works is customers first purchase 1 of 5 different self-administered tests to be completed from the comfort of their home. Then, customers mail in their test samples which are analyzed at a lab where AI technology is applied to come up with a highly detailed analysis. Customers will then receive a report of recommendations alongside a subscription of personalized supplements if they choose to start a monthly subscription. 

To put it bluntly, Viome represents a new frontier in medicine. They hope to help build a world where according to their website: “illness is optional”. By treating each person’s health individually with cutting edge technology, it seems more and more possible everyday that preventative measures could reshape societal health. 

Keep reading to find out what their products are, the process for getting them, and if they can truly reshape the world of wellness as we know it. 

Overview of Viome

Viome was established in 2016, but it’s really begun to pick up significant traction in recent years. It started as a small-scale but ambitious wellness-tech startup, and they now have over 600,000 monthly users and an estimated company valuation between $500M to $1B as of summer 2023. 

The company was started by well esteemed Indian-American business tycoon Naveen Jain in Washington, US. This is Naveen’s 7th successful venture with companies such as World Innovation Institute, Moon Express, and InfoSpace already under his belt. 

One thing is clear from Naveen’s track record: he’s a forward thinking business opportunist who seeks to shake up the status quo. Viome is just his latest example of this business model, and it likely won’t be his last.

With large financial backing and a well-established business reputation comes the ability to work with the best scientists money can buy. Naveen has teamed up with AI expert, Dr. Guruduth Banavar; biochemist, Dr. Momo Vuyisich, physician and medical researcher, Dr Stephen Barrie; and endocrinologist, Dr Damon Tanton among many others to create a Viome product building dream team. 

They have bold ideas, ample funding, and some great minds working together. This has created a brand new area of wellness for users to explore. 

Viome’s Mission

The purpose behind Viome as a brand is to deliver unprecedented and highly targeted health supplements unique to each customer by using AI technology. They hope to demystify the complex and often conflicting pieces of generic health advice that can otherwise become a source of frustration.

There are many loud voices online that seem to claim they have the perfect one-size-fits-all strategy or supplement for health, but we all recognize that can’t be true. Every person has a unique microbiome, a unique health history and unique nutritional needs.

Since Viome claims to take over 10 million data points from their customers’ mail-delivered samples, they’re able to cut through the noise of generic health advice to create something catered to every customer’s exact biochemistry. 

Viome states they can use this data to help with optimizing gut health, oral health, cellular and energy efficiency, cognitive health, systemic inflammation, immune health, and metabolic health. They gather this information mostly from tests which can show what microbes are present in the samples and specific gene expressions of the customer’s DNA (1).

This is what makes the whole process seem quite futuristic. Viome can quite literally examine your DNA and prescribe you a personalized supplement in response to this.

Viome Products Review

If you’re still trying to wrap your head around this concept, it may help to get a step by step explanation of how Viome products work and what they offer.

Though the main products at Viome are supplements, any supplement purchases must first begin with a test since they’re created specially for each individual.

They have 5 tests available:

• Full Body Intelligence™ Test
• Gut Intelligence™ Test
• Oral Health Intelligence™ Test
• Health Intelligence™ Test
• CancerDetect™ Test for Oral & Throat Cancer

The most comprehensive of these tests is the Full Body Intelligence™ Test which gives results of over 50+ health scores. After ordering a test, customers receive a test kit to put their sample in with clear instructions for collection and mailing. The samples will be of saliva, stool, or blood depending on the test. 

After the test is mailed in, customers will need to fill out an online questionnaire on Viome’s app about their current health and their health goals to help inform what will go into their personalized supplements. After this, they can expect to see their health score results within two weeks. Customers have the option to simply take the health report from the test they ordered and make their own health decisions based on that, or they’re welcome to order a subscription of a customized supplement based on their health markers and their questionnaire answers.

Who Are Viome Products Intended For?

Since this sort of product is relatively new to the market, they don’t have much in the way of competition yet. There are a few other companies that offer similar services, but they seem to be less comprehensive and generally more focused on gut health exclusively. 

Viome is therefore best suited for those who are comfortable doling out up to a few hundred dollars on a test and continuing to pay upwards of $70 USD a month for just one of their several supplements. 

Though this is out of the question for many people, there’s certainly still a niche of data-driven health enthusiasts who are eager to get their hands on the latest and greatest health technologies. It seems likely that this group of potential customers will grow in the future as this type of personalized wellness product becomes more commonplace and affordable.

Viome Gut Intelligence™ Test + Precision Probiotics + Prebiotics™ Review

Perhaps Viome’s most popular product is their custom pro and prebiotic which can be ordered after completing a Test Gut Intelligence™ Test or a Full Body Intelligence™ Test. The gut test needs a stool sample, and it provides users with 20+ health scores to outline various aspects of their gut health standing.

Also included in customers results is a thorough list of recommendations. This information outlines what specific probiotic strains and prebiotic fibers their gut needs, and how to get them through food. There are lists of foods with a rating system of “superfood”, “enjoy”, “minimize”, or “avoid” to help guide users through what their personal gut-healthy choices are. Viome recommends sticking to this dietary plan for at least 4-6 months to see noticeable results in digestion discomfort, skin appearance, sleep, metabolism and more.

Viome Full Body Intelligence™ Test + Precision Supplements™ Review

In addition to the Gut Intelligence™ Test, Viome offers a more comprehensive Full Body Intelligence™ Test that is a combination of its Gut, Oral, and Health Tests. It delivers 50+ health scores derived from samples of stool, blood and saliva. 

Much like the Gut Test, each customer’s personalized health report gives insights into what foods are recommended for or against and why. These results have more breadth than just the gut one, as they’ll address gut and oral microbiome health as well as parameters relevant to cellular health, cognitive health, heart health and immune health. 

Customers also receive recommendations on supplements and supplement doses. This includes supplements like vitamins, digestive enzymes, polyphenols, amino acids, minerals, herbs and food extracts. 

After receiving these results, Viome has the data necessary to create a “precision supplement” to support whole-body health. They’ll entail a mix of 50+ personalized ingredients. This test also allows for the creation of a unique gut biotic blend and oral health lozenge. They help to optimize the biomes of the gut and mouth respectively. 

All of these supplements are separate subscriptions if the user decides to purchase them, though they’re discounted if bought together in a bundle.

Viome Reviews — Customer Testimonies

Viome doesn’t post any reviews directly on their website, but since they sell their tests on Amazon the Viome reviews there offer a peek into their users’ experience. 

Overall, it seems most people enjoy the product and are happy to have access to comprehensive testing that standard medical care doesn’t generally offer.

Andrea, verified customer, stated in her Viome review how she was impressed with the detailed insights from a gut test taken two years ago and plans to take another test in the future to track health improvements:

I was amazed at the level of detail my gut test provided. I did this about two years ago and was really impressed with the information I got. I was working with a functional medicine doctor at the time and a lot of what I had learned previously matched what I learned from this test. Plus, this test provided even more information that previous tests I had done did not. I showed it to my functional medicine doctor and he was really impressed with what we could learn about my gut health. I definitely plan to take another test in the future and see what has changed since I’ve been making improvements towards my health. – Andrea

Another verified Viome customer, Elizabeth, found the test more beneficial than a simple elimination diet, here is what she said in her Viome review:

I found this test to be more helpful than a simple elimination diet. I’ve tried it all, including paleo and whole30 to help reduce inflammation and lose weight but still struggled. The test helped me identify foods to avoid, foods to eat in moderation, and superfoods. I look forward to trying their full body intelligence test and see how it compares to another test I did with DNA Company. Stay tuned! – Elizabeth

More Viome customers like Syd and Wooly all state, in their Viome review, appreciation for being able to take their health into their own hands.

I was pretty amazed by the testing done. Very thorough, complete and knowledgeable…worth every penny. They were able to test and help with what my doctor couldn’t – Syd

I appreciated learning what foods work and which foods to avoid in keeping my gut healthy. Very informative. – Wooly

That being said, a few negative Viome reviews like Lorraine’s don’t believe the AI generated recommendations are comparable to human expertise quite yet. 

More like pseudoscience and unfortunately their marketing outpaces the science. They tell you their supplements and probiotics are all you need for your complete health but some of the ingredients in the custom made supplements were in direct conflict with my medical conditions that took so long to complete. – Lorraine

Is Viome Worth it?

Whether or not Viome is worth entirely depends on each individual. Some love the personalization and freedom to get their hands on an impressive amount of health data. This comes with a pretty hefty price tag for now, and there’s still some unresolved questions of whether their AI generated recommendations are truly as perfect as their marketing claims. 

There’s also a limited amount of information about the supplements themselves since they’re different for each customer. This leaves unanswered questions about ingredient sourcing, dietary restrictions, interactions with other supplements and medications and more.

The Viome Tests can be ordered from their website or from Amazon, but the supplements themselves can only be ordered directly from their website for now.

There aren’t currently any other companies that offer quite as comprehensive health testing as Viome, but there are a few competitors in the realm of gut health. 

Alternatives

Gut Health Test from Thorne – A more affordable gut health test. 

DNA Nutrition Test from GENETRACKCanada – A cheek swab nutritional deficiencies test.

AIRE 2 from FoodMarble – A digestive health breath testing device.

FAQs

Conclusion

Viome’s products certainly aren’t for everyone, and there may still be some room for them to be more transparent about how they conduct their operations. That being said, they’re an impressive company that has huge potential to shake up the future of wellness.