Updated 30th October 2025
Introducing Gut Bug Clusters: Making sense of your gut microbiome
Share this article
ZOE’s at-home gut microbiome test uses state-of-the-art technology to provide an in-depth look at the types of bacteria in your gut.
But it's much more than just a list of hard-to-pronounce scientific names. Our test also gives insights into your health.
Over years of research, our scientists have identified associations between 50 "good" species of bacteria and positive health outcomes.
We've also identified links between 50 "bad" species and poorer health outcomes.
And when you take a microbiome test with ZOE, you can see how many of each of the 50 “good” and 50 “bad” microbes you have in your gut.
Now, to help provide extra insights into your microbiome and what it means for your long-term health, we’re introducing Gut Bug Clusters.
The crunch your gut’s* been craving.
Support gut health* and energy* and enhance the flavor and crunch of your meals.
What are Gut Bug Clusters?
We know that certain bacteria are linked to poorer health. For instance, some are associated with inflammation, while others are linked with poor blood glucose control, and so on.
Conversely, some species are associated with the opposite: lower inflammation and better blood glucose control.
To help people understand their microbiome and how it might influence their health, ZOE’s scientists have sorted these species — both “good” and “bad” — into four clusters:
1. Inflammation and Immune Health Cluster
Inflammation is a vital part of your immune response to injury or infection: You’d be dead without it. However, if it persists when there isn’t an injury or infection, it damages cells and tissues.
The bacteria in the Inflammation and Immune Health Cluster are associated with levels of GlycA. Higher levels of GlycA are a sign of long-term, low-grade inflammation throughout the body.
People with higher levels of good bacteria and lower levels of the bad bacteria in this cluster tend to have lower levels of systemic inflammation, and vice versa.
2. Blood Sugar Control Cluster
When you digest something that contains carbs, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is a simple sugar. This then makes its way into your bloodstream.
Your body detects the increase in blood glucose and produces insulin, which helps move the glucose from your blood and into cells to be used, thereby lowering the levels in your blood.
As with inflammation, blood glucose levels are a balancing act.
Glucose is essential for your survival. It fuels all of the cells in your body. But if levels are constantly elevated or if you have a pronounced or prolonged increase after eating, it can damage your blood vessels in the long run.
Join our mailing list
Opt in to receive ongoing science and nutrition emails, news and offers from ZOE. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The “good” and “bad” bacteria in the Blood Sugar Control Cluster are linked to markers of glucose regulation and insulin production, including:
HbA1c: Measures average blood sugar levels over 2–3 months.
Fasting glucose: Measures levels of sugar in your blood after fasting overnight.
C-peptide: This compound is a marker for insulin levels.
The presence of higher levels of “good” bacteria and lower levels of “bad” bacteria is more common in individuals with better blood sugar control.
3. Heart and Cholesterol Health Cluster
The Heart and Cholesterol Cluster contains bacteria associated with blood markers of heart health, including:
High-density lipoprotein (HDL): “Good” cholesterol.
Total cholesterol: The combined amount of “good” and “bad” cholesterol.
Triglycerides: A common type of fat in your body that’s linked to health issues if present in high levels.
Lipoprotein particle size: Lipoproteins are molecules that transport fats in your bloodstream. Smaller particles can more easily penetrate into blood vessel walls. This means they are more likely to cause a buildup of plaque.
Higher levels of “good” bacteria and lower levels of “bad” bacteria in this cluster tend to be found in people with a more favorable lipid profile.
4. Healthy Fat Distribution Cluster
Our bodies need fat, but if we have too much, it increases our risk of poorer health.
Also, it matters where the fat is. Fat that’s around your organs — so-called visceral fat — can be worse for your health. Similarly, fat build up in the liver is associated with poorer health.
The Healthy Fat Distribution Cluster contains microbes that are associated with unhealthy fat accumulation around organs and in the liver.
A higher presence of “good” bacteria and a lower presence of the “bad” bacteria in this cluster may reflect a microbiome profile connected to a healthier distribution of fat.
We don't buy the hype — and neither should you
Our new app reveals what the food labels won't, using data from the world's largest nutrition study run by ZOE.
Summary
ZOE has now launched Gut Bug Clusters to help our Members make sense of the complex world within their intestines.
By assigning “good” and “bad” gut bacteria into these clusters, we hope people will feel motivated to follow our personalized nutrition recommendations to collect more good bugs from each cluster.
If you’d like to discover more about the trillions of microbes that call your gut home, learn more about our gut microbiome tests here.
