Psomagen Review: Can Your Gut Affect Your Health?

Overview

1. Products: A gut biome test and a saliva DNA test.
2. Cost: The Gene & GutBiome test costs $129, and the GutBiome+ test costs $149.
3. Reports: Traits and microbiome reports.
4. Raw data access: Yes.
5. Privacy: Psomagen claims not to share personal information with third parties.
6. Alternatives: SelfDecode – get personalized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations based on DNA.

Pros

• Offers genetic and gut microbiome tests.
• The company allows for raw data downloading.

Cons

• Not available outside the United States.
• The DNA test can only be purchased with the gut biome test.
• No personalized recommendations based on DNA.

About Psomagen

Psomagen is a subsidiary of Macrogen, Inc, which was founded in 1997 in South Korea. Macrogen worked closely with the Korean government during their early years of operation.

Among their vast list of accomplishments, the company developed a genome analysis chip to diagnose hereditary chromosome disorders. They have partnered with researchers and clinicians from institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University.

Macrogen established their US headquarters in 2004, in Maryland. They later expanded their offices to New York in 2011 and Massachusetts in 2012. Previously known as Macrogen Corp in the United States, the company announced their new name in 2019.

Review of Psomagen Products & Features

Psomagen offers a gut microbiome and a saliva DNA test. The DNA test can only be purchased with a gut biome test.

The Gene & GutBiome test combines a DNA test and a gut biome test. Psomagen requires that users collect both a saliva sample and a stool sample for this test.

The DNA test informs on over 100 topics related to nutrition, physical, personal, and sensory traits. The gut biome test analyzes the user’s metabolism, nutritional utility, inflammation, probiotics profile, and more.

The GutBiome+ test investigates the microorganisms present in the gut from a stool sample. It includes all the information provided by GutBiome and more. It offers insights into one’s lifestyle status, nutrient usage, metabolism, and microbe profile.

In addition to the direct-to-consumer tests, Psomagen offers DNA sequencing for research and clinical purposes. The company also offers a COVID-19 test that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Review of Psomagen Reports

Psomagen’s reports can be accessed on their online platform. The company sends an email to notify users that their report is ready.

Customers can navigate their results online, or they can download a PDF version. However, the company discloses that the full gene report can be only accessed on their portal.

The Gene & GutBiome PDF report is presented as one document. First, Psomagen displays the gene portion of the report. The company only provides a summary of the results, shown below.

Psomagen explains that the online genetic report offers information on the probability of the user having a particular trait or their levels of certain nutrients. They also describe how the results compare to the average population from different locations.

Unfortunately, the DNA report does not include any personalized health recommendations to help you address your predispositions. Psomagen only informs users of their likelihood of developing a certain trait or condition.

The second part of the report presents the gut biome results. Here, the company provides more detailed information about the results, seen below. For example, the Microbial Diversity section compares the user’s score to other customers and explains what the score means.

Moreover, the company describes how the results relate to the microbiome, and they give a few health recommendations aimed at improving gut health, shown below. These suggestions are solely based on the microbiome test.

The GutBiome+ report first provides an introduction to the topic of the microbiome and explains the difference between the GutBiome and GutBiome+ tests.

As can be seen from the sample report below, Psomagen describes each topic analyzed. The company provides a thorough explanation of the results and offers a few graphical representations to help users understand their results.

Additionally, the report gives a few health recommendations to help users improve their gut health. However, this advice is generic and could be applied to many people. For example, the company tells their customer to eat a balanced diet with carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, as seen below.

While the reports are easy to understand, they do not offer much guidance on how to interpret the results, specially the DNA section, which only presents a superficial analysis of the results.

Cost of Psomagen

The Gene & GutBiome test costs $129. The GutBiome+ test is priced at $149. For information on Psomagen’s research and clinical sequencing services, customers need to contact the company.

The company states that users can cancel their order within one hour from purchase via the link provided in the order confirmation email.

Health Recommendations from Psomagen

Psomagen gives a few health recommendations in the GutBiome and GutBiome+ reports. However, their advice is basic and generalized, and the company does not provide additional information.

The Gene report does not offer any health recommendations based on DNA. As it is, the report is limited to informing the user’s probability of having a particular trait or their levels of certain nutrients.

The company does not inform on more serious health conditions and limits their analysis to food absorption, physical, sensory, and personality traits.

Review of Psomagen Privacy & Data Security

Psomagen claims not to share personal information with third parties. They may share data with third parties if it is necessary to provide their services. They state that they are HIPAA compliant.

Users can request a copy of the personal information stored by the company at any time. Psomagen allows their customers to access their raw DNA data.

The company claims to employ physical and technological measures to secure the data in accordance with the law.

SelfDecode vs Psomagen

1. SelfDecode delivers natural supplements, diet, and lifestyle suggestions based on your genes that you can implement right away. Psomagen offers a few health recommendations in the gut biome reports, but no gene-based suggestions.
2. SelfDecode tells you why they make each recommendation so that you can understand the science behind the suggestion. Psomagen bases their suggestions on improving gut health.
3. SelfDecode prioritizes recommendations based on their analysis of all the relevant genes instead of one gene at a time (through reports). Psomagen does not prioritize their recommendations.
4. SelfDecode takes a holistic approach to give recommendations that are best for your genes AND the health topic. Psomagen’s recommendations are aimed at optimizing gut health.
5. SelfDecode is the most comprehensive and looks at more genes & SNPs (up to 83 million) to deliver the best analysis of genetic risks. Psomagen analyzes genes related to over 100 genetic traits and examines the microbes present in the gut.
6. SelfDecode supports everything with peer-reviewed scientific studies in their research and checks for contradicting information. Psomagen includes scientific references in the reports.
7. SelfDecode never sells your data or gives it away. Psomagen claims to not share personal information with third parties.

Comparisons

Psomagen Reviews

On Facebook, 9 people rated the company an average of 4.1 of 5. One customer appreciates their technical services and the quick turnaround times.

Amazon – 63 Customer Average Rating of 3.9 of 5 stars

Users comment on how the tests are simple to perform and say that the instructions are easy to follow. They like that the company offers a saliva DNA test and a gut biome test as a package. Negative reviews include customers who were dissatisfied with the amount of information provided. They claim the results were vague and not detailed. One customer says they received many “generic responses”.

BestDNATestingKit – 3 of 5

The reviewer says Psomagen’s tests are very specific and that other companies offer more information for a lower price. They comment on how the reports could offer more guidance on what the results mean.

Alternatives to Psomagen

SelfDecode: The best health-focused DNA test that delivers personalized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations aimed at optimizing overall health.

Psomagen Review Summary

Psomagen offers a gut biome test and a saliva DNA test and a microbiome test combo. The DNA report provides information about a few traits, but the company does not offer health suggestions based on genetics.

The microbiome reports are comprehensive and offer a few recommendations aimed at optimizing gut health. However, the advice given by the company is very general and could apply to many people.

Another drawback is that the DNA test can only be purchased with the gut biome test and is not sold separately. For those who wish to get deeper insights based on DNA, an alternative such as SelfDecode analyzes up to 83 million genetic variants to deliver personalized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations to help people improve their quality of life. SelfDecode offers detailed reports covering over 25 health topics, including gut health.

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