Your brain is not just an organ—it's the very essence of who you are, housing your thoughts, emotions, and memories while orchestrating every function in your body. What's even more fascinating is that this master controller has a surprising partner: your gut microbiome, which produces many of the very chemicals that help shape your thoughts, moods, and memories.
Your Viome Brain and Cognitive Health Score combines insights from microbial and cellular transcripts to give a comprehensive view of how your diet and lifestyle may be impacting your cognitive health.
Why measure brain and cognitive health?
Think of your brain as the conductor of an incredibly complex orchestra, coordinating countless biological processes while managing your conscious experience of the world. When you get your Brain & Cognitive Health Score, we're essentially evaluating how well this conductor and its supporting musicians are performing together. Is your brain getting the nutrients it needs? Are stress responses being properly managed? Is your gut microbiome producing the right balance of neurotransmitters?
Your score comes from an incredible process where we analyze millions of data points from your gut microbiome and cellular samples. This gives us a detailed picture of your cognitive health across several critical areas:
Neurotransmitter production and balance
Stress response patterns
Circadian rhythm maintenance
Methylation processes
Cellular repair efficiency
Gut-brain communication
Overview of your Viome Health Scores
Your unique biochemistry tells an important story about your health. Using advanced AI technology, Viome analyzes over 10 million data points from your oral, gut, and human cell samples to create comprehensive health scores that guide your personalized nutrition and supplement recommendations. These scores reflect how your body's systems impact your overall wellness, drawing from thousands of biochemical pathways and peer-reviewed research.
Here's how we transform your Viome test samples into actionable health insights:
Sample Analysis: We sequence your biological samples to start your health story
Molecular Translation: We convert your molecular data into meaningful biological functions
Clinical Alignment: We map these functions to relevant health indicators
Score Creation: We generate your personalized Integrative Health Scores
Cellular Energy and Efficiency Score
Your Brain & Cognitive Health Score is designed to give you insights into your brain function and cognitive performance. It reveals how your diet, lifestyle, and gut microbiome affect your mental clarity, emotional balance, and cognitive capabilities. This score is available with our Full Body Intelligence™ Test.
Your Viome nutrition recommendations are designed to optimize your brain health and cognitive function.
What we report on:
Serotonin production pathways
GABA synthesis and regulation
Focus and concentration factors
pH balance maintenance
Stress response patterns
DNA repair efficiency
Methylation processes
Hormone production balance
Ammonia and lactic acid metabolism
Neurotransmitter synthesis
What will I learn about my brain and cognitive health?
Using advanced analysis of your gut microbiome and cellular function, we provide a comprehensive view of the factors influencing your cognitive wellness. Your brain health is supported by an intricate network of biological processes that we carefully examine:
Neurotransmitter Production:
The communication between your gut and brain relies heavily on chemical messengers produced by both your body and your microbiome.
Serotonin pathway efficiency
GABA production and regulation
Dopamine synthesis support
Stress hormone balance
Cellular Health Factors:
Your brain's cellular health directly impacts its function and long-term wellness.
DNA repair capabilities
Methylation patterns
Oxidative stress management
Energy metabolism efficiency
Microbiome Impact:
Your gut microbes play a crucial role in supporting cognitive function through various mechanisms.
Beneficial compound production
Management of harmful metabolites
pH balance regulation
Barrier integrity maintenance
Understanding the Gut-Brain Network
The connection between your gut and brain represents one of the most remarkable partnerships in your body. This sophisticated network operates through an intricate system of chemical and immune pathways that work together to support your cognitive health, creating a constant dialogue between these two vital organs.
At the heart of this communication is your gut microbiome's role as a chemical production facility. Perhaps most remarkably, your gut produces nearly 90% of your body's serotonin, the neurotransmitter often associated with mood and emotional balance. But this is just the beginning of its chemical influence. Your gut microbes also create GABA, a calming neurotransmitter that helps you manage stress and maintain emotional equilibrium. Through these and other compounds, your gut microbiome plays a crucial role in supporting memory, focus, and overall cognitive function.
The gut's influence on brain health extends beyond neurotransmitter production to include a sophisticated inflammatory response network. Think of this as your body's internal protection system, with your gut microbiome acting as a vigilant guardian. It carefully manages systemic inflammation that could affect cognitive function and helps maintain the integrity of your blood-brain barrier—the crucial protective layer that shields your brain from potentially harmful substances. Your gut microbiome also helps regulate immune responses that impact brain health and assists in clearing compounds that could interfere with optimal cognitive function.
This intricate dance between the gut and the brain explains why the health of your digestive system can have such profound effects on your cognitive function, emotional well-being, and long-term brain health. When we support gut health, we're not just improving digestion—we're nurturing the very foundation of our mental and emotional wellness. The gut truly serves as a second brain, constantly working to maintain the balance and function of our primary cognitive command center.
What does a Not Optimal score mean:
Don't worry -- this isn't a failing grade! A "Not Optimal" score indicates that some of your brain-supporting biological processes could use some fine-tuning. Think of it as your body asking for specific support to optimize its cognitive function.
We may be seeing:
Imbalances in hormone production
Accumulation of compounds like ammonia or lactic acid
Changes in DNA methylation patterns
Reduced efficiency in DNA repair pathways
Alterations in neurotransmitter production
To improve this score, we create personalized recommendations that may include foods rich in brain-supporting nutrients, specific vitamins and minerals for cognitive health, herbs that support mood and mental clarity, compounds that support healthy gut-brain communication, and nutrients that aid in methylation and DNA repair.*
What does a Good score mean:
A "Good" score indicates your body is effectively supporting cognitive health through:
Balanced hormone and neurotransmitter production
Efficient metabolism of potentially harmful compounds
Proper DNA maintenance and repair
Healthy methylation patterns
Strong gut-brain communication
Optimal pH balance
To improve or maintain this score, Viome comprehensively analyzes your microbiome and predicts your reactions to 370+ foods, telling you exactly what to eat and avoid. By following your personalized Viome recommendations and nourishing your body, you can continue supporting optimal brain health.*
Brain health impacts energy for everyday life
Your cognitive health profoundly influences every aspect of your daily experience, from how you think and feel to how you interact with the world around you. When your brain health needs support, the signs often appear as a complex tapestry of changes across multiple areas of your life.
The most noticeable shifts often occur in cognitive function. You might find yourself struggling to concentrate during important meetings, grappling with brain fog that makes simple decisions feel overwhelming, or experiencing memory challenges that make daily tasks more difficult. These cognitive changes can feel like trying to see through a foggy window—everything is there, but clarity remains just out of reach.
Emotional well-being is equally susceptible to changes in brain health. You might notice:
Unexpected mood fluctuations
Increased feelings of anxiousness
Greater emotional sensitivity
Changes in how you respond to daily stressors
These emotional shifts often intertwine with physical manifestations, creating a complex web of symptoms that can affect your daily life. Sleep patterns might become irregular, energy levels may fluctuate unexpectedly, and you might find yourself more sensitive to stress than usual. These changes don't occur in isolation—they're all interconnected aspects of your brain's intricate influence on your overall well-being.
Healthy cells are the foundation of your overall well-being
Your brain, an extraordinary organ comprising nearly 60% fat, serves as the command center for your entire body. Like a sophisticated computer, it requires the right "fuel" and maintenance to operate at its best. When properly supported through nutrition and lifestyle choices, the benefits ripple throughout your entire system in remarkable ways.
Cognitive performance flourishes when your brain receives optimal support. Mental clarity sharpens, making complex tasks feel more manageable. Your memory becomes more reliable, both in forming new memories and recalling existing ones. Focus and concentration improve, allowing you to navigate your daily tasks with greater ease and efficiency.
The emotional landscape also transforms with proper brain support. Your mood becomes more stable and predictable, like a steady ship on calm seas rather than one tossed by emotional storms. Stress management improves significantly, helping you maintain composure even in challenging situations. Perhaps most importantly, you develop greater emotional resilience—the ability to bounce back from life's inevitable ups and downs.
Physical benefits accompany these mental and emotional improvements:
Sleep becomes more restful and regular
Energy levels stabilize throughout the day
Physical coordination improves
Stress responses become more balanced
This interconnected web of benefits demonstrates why supporting brain health isn't just about improving memory or focus—it's about enhancing your overall quality of life. When your brain functions optimally, every aspect of your daily experience can improve, from your productivity at work to your relationships with loved ones.
Stay on track with the Viome
Your Brain & Cognitive Health Score is one of many Viome scores that work together as your health compass, guiding you toward optimal wellness. To make the most of these insights:
Test regularly to monitor changes in your cognitive health
Follow your personalized nutrition recommendations
Pay attention to how different foods affect your mental clarity
Monitor your mood and energy patterns
Notice improvements in focus and memory
Remember, you're not just looking at numbers—you're gaining insights into your body's fundamental processes that can be tailored to fit your lifestyle. Your brain works hard for you daily, and we're here to help you support it. Connect with our community through weekly chats and virtual open houses, or reach out to our Customer Experience team for personalized guidance. Together, we can help you maintain optimal cognitive health and keep you feeling your best.
