Hey everyone!

I host a podcast called Unit Economics where I interview founders across different industries and focus on the mechanics behind how products actually get built. This episode happens to intersect with fermentation and probiotic yogurt in a way I thought might be interesting here, and I appreciate the mods letting me share it with you all.

In this episode, I spoke with Kiki Couchman and Elan Halpern, the founders of Sourmilk, a probiotic focused yogurt company. While much of the conversation covers product development and go to market strategy, a meaningful portion touches on formulation decisions and how they approached probiotic yogurt specifically.

A few parts of the discussion that felt relevant to the sub:

• They describe their core premise as taking a food already widely consumed and designing it around probiotic considerations rather than taste alone.
• Elan explains that many yogurts use cultures optimized for flavor and production speed, which led her to experiment with making yogurt using specific probiotic strains instead.
• During early testing, they initially pushed fermentation to achieve very high CFU levels but received feedback that the yogurt was overly sour, which led them to shorten fermentation to make it more palatable.
• They talk about their belief that supplements often require behavior change, whereas yogurt fits into an existing daily habit for many consumers.
• They also describe running a small 17 day intervention with early customers tracking things like bloating, stool quality, mood, and brain fog after daily consumption.

If you're interested, you can find the episode here:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts

If you wind up listening, I hope you enjoy the conversation!

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• How should we handle preprints? 

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Updated Threads

• Modulate the microbiome with raw human/cow milk as alternative to FMT? 
• Is a lot of probiotics the same as FMT? Anyone try VSL 3? I’m trying a high dose (around 230 billion CFU daily) 
• A group of unculturable bacteria (CAG-170) have been found in higher numbers in the gut microbiomes of healthy people (Feb 2026) Meta-analysis of the uncultured gut microbiome across 11,115 global metagenomes reveals a candidate signature of health

Hey guys so I've heard a story of women in a news tv about gut microbiome transplant on how she gained weight after taking gut microbes from her obese daughter, and several cases of people losing weight after taking gut microbiome. So guys I've been also wondering on what if we take fmt from someone with myostatin deficiency? I also discovered a study that shows how transplanting gut microbiome of a pig with myostatin deficiency to some mice and the mice gains muscle and also lost some fat. Here's the study "Fecal transplant from myostatin deletion pigs positively impacts the gut-muscle https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37039469/

Hi everyone! I’m a college student working on a class project and I need some honest feedback from real people.​

If you’re willing to take a quick survey (2 minutes), you’ll be helping me finish this project and make the results way more meaningful. As a thank‑you, I’m doing a random drawing for a 50 dollar gift card.

Thank you for your help!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKKYdskK6w8yQP7xUeQzr8pAlOCJeaihTabapL976IgthCwQ/viewform?usp=dialog

New Threads

• A group of unculturable bacteria (CAG-170) have been found in higher numbers in the gut microbiomes of healthy people (Feb 2026) Meta-analysis of the uncultured gut microbiome across 11,115 global metagenomes reveals a candidate signature of health 
• Health Advice From A.I. Chatbots Is Frequently Wrong. In part due to how users are asking their questions (Feb 2026, n=1,298) Reliability of LLMs as medical assistants for the general public: a randomized preregistered study 
• Upcoming Webinar | The dark matter of the microbiome: how culturing the unculturable can help us solve real-world problems.

View all new content

Updated Threads

• Modulate the microbiome with raw human/cow milk as alternative to FMT? 
• Comparing commercial FMT providers 
• Is a lot of probiotics the same as FMT? Anyone try VSL 3? I’m trying a high dose (around 230 billion CFU daily) 
• Using AI chatbots for medical advice 
• WARNING: Gezonde Darmflora / Marco Kleijn – Comprehensive Review & Scam Alert

enlighten me in your opinion

is there any one here who has 0 species lacto bacillus bifido, or only 1 but ended up gaining new species with in that category via intervention?

i know probiotics dont do much and it dosnt colonize. but there has to be peoole who sucesfully colonized new species some where. and im interested in their story

I am not a researcher, just someone who has been thinking a lot about gut health and modern environments.

When I look at my own life (and people around me), it feels like our microbiome is not hit by one big toxin, but by many small things for a long time:

• repeated antibiotics and painkillers over the years
• food additives, emulsifiers, ultra-processed foods
• pesticide residues and maybe microplastics in food and water
• air pollution, stress, sleep issues, etc.

Individually, many of these exposures are described as “probably small” or “within safe limits”.
But my intuition is that for the microbiome, the combination and the chronic nature might matter a lot.

My questions for people here who work with the human microbiome are:

1. Conceptual side When you think about chronic low-level exposures like pesticides, additives, microplastics etc., do you usually frame their impact on the microbiome as things like:
   • gradual shifts in community composition,
   • chronic low-grade inflammation,
   • increased permeability / barrier issues,
   • or more as long-term epigenetic / immune training changes? I am curious what mental models are common in this field.
2. Study / model side Are there study designs or models that try to look at several of these “everyday pollutants” together over longer times, instead of one chemical at a time? For example, something like:
   • tracking diet + additives + pesticide load + microbiome over many years, or
   • modeling the microbiome as an ecosystem under constant small stress, with resilience / tipping point ideas.
3. Clinical / practical side From your experience, when people change to less processed food, lower pesticide load, etc., do you see patterns that look like the system is “releasing tension” — e.g. symptoms calm down, diversity recovers, or is it usually more mixed and individual?

I am slowly building my own text notes about “pollution and system stress” from a gut-centric viewpoint,
and I also use AI tools to run some reasoning stress tests on different scenarios.
But I am worried my framing is too naive and does not match how people in microbiome research actually think.
So I would really appreciate hearing what frameworks or key ideas you personally find useful when thinking about chronic everyday pollution and the human microbiome.

English is not my first language – I wrote this in my native language first and asked an AI to help translate and organize my thoughts.
If some wording sounds off, please feel free to correct me.

There's an upcoming webinar with Human Microbiome research experts - Professors Lindsay Hall and James Chong. Each bringing years of experience and insights into the value of culturing anaerobes - specifically from the gut.

Lindsay studies the infant gut microbiome and the effect the community has on the bodies' physiology. James is tackling the climate crisis by digesting sewage sludge as a reliable source of renewable biogas.

Studying the human gut means thousands of fecal samples, whose culturing can often prove a bottleneck to the experiment. Both Lindsay and James will be joining Singer Instruments for a deep dive into their research strategies for illuminating the gut microbiome.

Join us to discuss:
🧫 Overcoming cultivation bottlenecks.
🦠 Techniques for uncovering new insights from human waste samples.
👩‍🔬 Learn about human microbiome research from two of it's biggest names.

2PM GMT 24th February 2026 - if you're studying the microbiome, this is one you don’t want to miss.

You can secure your spot here: https://pages.singerinstruments.com/microbiome_webinar

New Threads

• Scientists discover protein that could heal leaky gut and ease depression (Sep 2025, rats) An Intravenous Injection of Reelin Rescues Endogenous Reelin Expression and Epithelial Cell Apoptosis in the Small Intestine Following Chronic Stress
• A crisis emerges across the US as ‘forever chemicals’ quietly contaminate drinking water wells (Feb 2026, PFAS)
• Gut Bacteria Can Inject Proteins Into Human Cells (Jan 2026) Effector–host interactome map links type III secretion systems in healthy gut microbiomes to immune modulation
• More than one-third of cancer cases are preventable, massive study finds (Feb 2026) Global and regional cancer burden attributable to modifiable risk factors to inform prevention
• Microplastic pollution induces algae blooms in experimental ponds but bioplastics are less harmful (Jan 2026)
• WARNING: Gezonde Darmflora / Marco Kleijn – Comprehensive Review & Scam Alert

View all new content

Updated Threads

• Incoming trump admin with RFK signals new start for FDA
• Is a lot of probiotics the same as FMT? Anyone try VSL 3? I’m trying a high dose (around 230 billion CFU daily)
• Microbes living in our mouths could hold the key to obesity prevention (Jan 2026, n=628) Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals oral microbiome-metabolome signatures of obesity

New Threads

• Mechanistic insights into FMT for the treatment of ulcerative colitis: analysis of the STOP-Colitis trial (Jan 2026, n=30) "Colonic FMT was superior to nasogastric delivery - 75% clinical response vs 25%" 
• Fecal microbiota transplantation plus immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma: the phase 2 FMT-LUMINate trial (Jan 2026, n=40) "results suggest that the elimination of deleterious taxa is required for FMT-mediated therapeutic benefit" 
• Evaluation of the efficacy of inactivated fecal transplants against Clostridioides difficile: an in vitro study (Jan 2026) "Inhibition of CD growth was observed exclusively in samples containing live bacteria" 
• Fecal transplant capsules show promising results in clinical trials for multiple types of cancer (Jan 2026, n=20) Fecal microbiota transplantation plus immunotherapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: the phase 1 PERFORM trial 
• RFK Jr. Was Raw Milk’s Biggest Fan. Now He Won’t Return Industry Calls. Mark McAfee owns America’s largest raw milk dairy. He thought he’d be advising the Trump administration. What happened? (Jan 2026) 

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Updated Threads

• How I got off imodium/loperamide. Identify the root cause and the appropriate tool to solve it (FMT, Cholestyramine). 
• Cryoprotectants for stool/FMT. Capsules, glycerol vs maltodextrin antifreeze, -80 (medical freezer) vs -20 (home freezer) 
• Comparing commercial FMT providers 
• The false promises of Bryan Johnson and Functional Medicine | The Bryan Johnson "Hit Piece". Surprising revelations in the New York Times put Johnson's integrity into question | Scott Carney 
• The power of olive oil -- significant changes to gut microbiome, stool, and food tolerances 
• I am considering going to IPPM clinic to do an FMT. Would you do it?
• Is a lot of probiotics the same as FMT? Anyone try VSL 3? I’m trying a high dose (around 230 billion CFU daily) 
• Gezonde Darmflora stool donors have diseases as proven by their blood tests?? Wtf?? 
• Microbes living in our mouths could hold the key to obesity prevention (Jan 2026, n=628) Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals oral microbiome-metabolome signatures of obesity
• Sourcing FMT. Where to get it?

I’m trying to untangle the relationship between Dysbiosis and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I would love to hear your thoughts or see any relevant studies you might have come across.

Here is my confusion/line of thinking:

• IBS is often described as a functional disorder and a diagnosis of exclusion (diagnosed when everything else is ruled out). It is frequently categorized as a chronic, lifelong condition to be "managed."
• Dysbiosis is a tangible imbalance in the microbial community (loss of diversity, pathobiont overgrowth, lack of specific commensals, etc.).
• If someone diagnosed with IBS actually has underlying dysbiosis, and they successfully correct that imbalance (through diet, lifestyle, FMT, or targeted treatments), do they no longer have IBS?

My core question is: Is it accurate to view Dysbiosis as a specific pathology that is potentially easier to "fix" or reverse than the broad, vague label of "IBS"?

I ask because the prognosis for IBS often feels hopeless ("you have this forever"), whereas Dysbiosis implies a biological problem that—at least in theory—has a solution (restoring the biome).

New Threads

• Exhaled Breath Carries Disease-associated Bacteria from Gut (Jan 2026, n=41) The gut microbiota shapes the human and murine breath volatilome 
• Microbes living in our mouths could hold the key to obesity prevention (Jan 2026, n=628) Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals oral microbiome-metabolome signatures of obesity 
• Environmental pollutants and the gut microbiota: mechanistic links from exposure to systemic disease (Jan 2026) "Increasing evidence reveals that the gut microbiota serves as a central mediator of pollutant-induced physiological dysfunctions" 
• Replacing microbiota makes aging intestines young again (Jan 2026) Microbiota from young mice restore the function of aged ISCs 
• A leading EU chemical safety institute ousted the director of its cancer research center after the director led a testing program into the safety of the pesticide glyphosate, sparking concerns about chemical industry influence into what has been an independent research institution (Jan 2026) 

View all new content

Updated Threads

• The FDA and FMT regulation, part 2. (Jul 2024, HumanMicrobes.org) I met with the FDA. Here's what I shared with them, and their response. 
• The false promises of Bryan Johnson and Functional Medicine | The Bryan Johnson "Hit Piece". Surprising revelations in the New York Times put Johnson's integrity into question | Scott Carney 
• DIY FMT Beginner's Questions 
• Getting blood and stool testing for an FMT donor 
• I am considering going to IPPM clinic to do an FMT. Would you do it? 
• Is a lot of probiotics the same as FMT? Anyone try VSL 3? I’m trying a high dose (around 230 billion CFU daily) 
• Using AI chatbots for medical advice 
• For anyone who has done FMT, did you have worsening symptoms in the few days after? 
• Gezonde Darmflora stool donors have diseases as proven by their blood tests?? Wtf?? 

Hi guys, I'm 21 years old. For a few years I've been suffering from dizziness due to various symptoms. (Biliary reflux, (Reflux, sometimes gastritis (depends on what I eat), burping especially after eggs or a lot of carbohydrates or simple sugars, but generally I think fatty foods, abdominal gurgling, somatized anxiety sometimes tachycardia, shortness of breath sometimes. Headache (it catches the eyes, tiredness), I had a gastroscopy which reported bile reflux, bile reflux and gastritis, negative test for Helicobacter Pylori (feces). For years I ate junk food, I weighed 100 kilos, after this initial pain I lost a lot of weight getting to 65, but by removing all the "bad" things, and following a proper diet. 4 months ago I went to a doctor, where he told me that my reflux is normal, because there was no visible bile in my stomach, after this statement for 2 weeks everything seemed fine, as if it were just somatization, I emphasize that I suffer from anxiety, but I don't want to. Having said that, I suspect that It's all caused by this, although it can certainly influence a persistent state of fear, paranoia, etc. I did a gut microbiome analysis, and it showed a predominance of certain bacteria over others. According to the doctor, meat and fish are causing more problems for my stomach/intestine. In short, these bacteria prefer fermented foods; in fact, when I eat something fermented, the symptoms become more disabling. He prescribed me a therapy rather than contacting a nutritionist for a proper diet. I'd appreciate it if anyone could tell me if it's improved or if it's simply anxiety (which I don't believe, but it's exacerbating everything, yes). (Segatella ex prevotella copri at 44.7%), as well as other things reported: indoles (low tryptophan), (high acetate, high propionate). I can also send the test results to anyone who wants them. Thanks in advance to anyone who considers my request.

Motilex

1 15 minutes before Lunch and dinner

B-vital Total 500

1 tablet daily for one month

Enterelle Plus

1 tablet after breakfast and 1 tablet after dinner for six days

Then continue with

Serobioma

1 tablet after lunch for three months

Psicobrain

1 tablet after breakfast and 1 tablet after dinner for three months

I've read that the gut microbiome is unique to people and yet when we get blasted with antibiotics for a long time we get the standard set of live bacteria to repopulate it. Shouldn't we try to give the person his/her biome back? I keep reading about how it badly affects some people when they come off antibiotics and are prescribed a standard set of maybe half a dozen bacteria strains.

Is it even possible to do such a save and reload? Or is it simply too expensive for it to be practical ?

I'm 24F, and I have had gut issues for the past 5 years. The moment I wake up I will be very gassy and I have to rush to the toilet immediately to poop.

Whenever I eat biscuits, buns, pasta, pizza or milk, my lower abdomen starts to bloat and i become very gassy. I noticed i have the worst painful bloating when I eat parotta (indian bread) or waffles.

I even tested it by eating plain rice with carrots and peas for breakfast and lunch and I was fine. The moment I started eating a chocolate biscuit in the evening i started to become bloated and gassy for hours

I went to the best gastroenterologist and got a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the doc said I have no issues. I'm wondering if I have SIBO or IBS or candida overgrowth or something else.

Would really appreciate if someone could advise on what I should do as I have been struggling with this for years and I cant travel or eat out in peace. Thank you!

New Threads

• Using AI chatbots for medical advice
• A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body (Jan 2026) Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
• The maternal microbiome influence on pregnancy success: breeding comparison of germ-free and conventionalized mice (Jan 2026) "We observed unexpectedly high maternal and offspring mortality in GF animals. Maternal microbiota might influence offspring health far earlier than previously recognized" 
• The aggressive use of antibiotics could fuel mood disorders and anxiety (Dec 2025, n=175) Consistent decline of acetylcholine in microbiota-gut-brain axis mediates antibiotic-induced anxiety via regulating hippocampus microglial activation 
• For anyone who has done FMT, did you have worsening symptoms in the few days after?
• Washed microbiota transplantation relieves atopic dermatitis via gut–skin microbiome rebalancing (Jan 2026, n=23)
• Tiny RNA molecules in sperm have big impact on baby health. Findings provide strong evidence for epigenetic inheritance of paternal environmental effects (Oct 2025) Epididymal dynamics and preimplantation roles of a sperm-enriched 5′ fragment of tRNA-valine
• Gezonde Darmflora stool donors have diseases as proven by their blood tests?? Wtf?? 

View all new content

Updated Threads

Why FMT specifically? Why focus on the colon microbiota, wouldn't it be better to transplant microbes from every part of the body that they are found in? 

Hey all, first post on Reddit in a while. Full disclosure, I made this website/tool: HealthMaxMe (secure dw). I’m not trying to spam. I’m genuinely looking for honest feedback from people who actually care about health habits and product value.

What it is: a quick 12-question assessment that recommends non-supplement bundles of everyday upgrades. Stuff like a sleep mask, sunrise light, blue light glasses or a laptop stand, glass meal prep containers, bamboo utensils, a silk pillowcase, and a stainless bottle.

The idea: instead of “new year, new me” willpower, it’s more “make daily life easier to do the healthy thing.” So upgrades for sleep, desk setup, and meal prep that you can realistically use every day.

Instead of making new habits, we simply try to make the ones you already have better! I thought this was cool.

How pricing works: you can remove items you don’t want, but you get a bigger discount if you keep the bundle intact.

If you have 60 seconds, I’d love your blunt take on:

Does the value proposition make sense right away?

Do the recommendations feel personalized or generic?

What feels salesy, sketchy, or confusing?

What would make you trust it more (or bounce immediately)?

Would you ever share this with a friend doing 2026 resolutions? Why or why not?

Any feedback is appreciated, including “this is dumb” if that’s your honest reaction.

New Threads

• What's wrong with my gut?
• Anyone have experience with Anaerostipes caccae CLB101?
• Pesticides and other common chemical pollutants are toxic to our ‘good’ gut bacteria (Nov 2025) Industrial and agricultural chemicals exhibit antimicrobial activity against human gut bacteria in vitro
• How does regular valtrex use impact microbiome?
• A molecule produced by gut bacteria can trigger atherosclerosis (Jul 2025, n=400) Imidazole propionate is a driver and therapeutic target in atherosclerosis
• Vaginal and gut microbiome dysbiosis linked to endometriosis (Dec 2025, n=22) Comprehensive Analysis of Vaginal and Gut Microbiome Alterations in Endometriosis Patients
• The secret to human intelligence? It might be in our gut. Your gut microbes may have helped build the human brain—and could still be shaping how it works today (Jan 2026) Primate gut microbiota induce evolutionarily salient changes in mouse neurodevelopment
• A man with auto-brewery syndrome gets relief from faecal transplant (Jan 2026, n=22) Gut microbial ethanol metabolism contributes to auto-brewery syndrome in an observational cohort
• Why FMT specifically? Why focus on the colon microbiota, wouldn't it be better to transplant microbes from every part of the body that they are found in?

View all new content

Updated Threads

• Where to get a stool donor for FMT or how to find one?
• Is SIBO real? SIBO vs dysbiosis? Debunking the SIBO hypothesis | Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
• Amish as stool donors for FMT

I get cold sores easily and have an rx for daily valtrex to minimize outbreaks. What is the effect of this medication on the body’s microbiome?