Comprehensive stool test and Regenerus Lab

Hi to everyone!
I'd like to buy the doctor's data stool kit with parasitology x3 from regenerus lab but since i don't live in UK(i'm from North Italy) i don't know wether that company is trustworthy or not.Have you ever had any experience with them?Is it popular in UK?

Also i know that the sample's containers are filled with some liquid.Does that liquid have an expiration date (the website says that the Royal Mail International Postage can take up to 2 weeks to deliver the package..) or is it just important that i send the kit back to the lab as soon as possible?(I'd use the express service of UPS so it'd take 1 at worst 1 and half day to get to the lab)

It's a lot of money and i don't want to throw it away.

Thanks.

 

Judging by the website it is a scam set up. Most of the test names are meaningless in medical terms.

 

wow are you sure?
I just found an article about the company https://www.abouttimemagazine.co.uk/style/about-time-you-discovered-regenerus-labs/ Are you positive that it's a scam?I noticed that it's possible to finalize the purchase with paypal

 

I don't think that is an article. It is an advertisement.

I cannot see any reason to think what they offer is medically reliable. A reliable lab would not advertise its tests the way they do. It seems to be set up to cater for pseudo medical concepts like detox.

 

That's a fair point.

However i also found this picture of a supposedly regenerus lab's employee. <photo removed>
I checked her website from her instagram profile and it looks legit.I'll contact her to make sure that it's the regenerus lab we're talking about in this thread.
I'll keep this thread updated.

 

It still doesn’t mean it’s worth your money, if Jonathan thinks the science is nonsense then I can’t see the test results being useful even if they actually perform them.

 

I've not longed at the regenerus site so am not making a comparison.
I used this company: https://smartnutrition.co.uk
My understanding is that the lab they use (Genova Diagnostics) is reputable, although I'm prepared to be corrected! Going via smart nutrition meant I didn't need a gp referral. I believe they ship over seas but if you contact Smartnutrition they'll confirm. I found them very communicative.

 

You're right, in that Smartnutrition are taking a slice of what you pay for the test to be performed. But if that is what the OP wants then they are a potential provider.

As to whether there is benefit in all the tests that they (Genova Diagnostics) market I don't know. Some appear to be the same tests that you can get done on the NHS (if you have a cooperative GP). As a test house they seem reputable enough.

SmartNutrition also offer to 'consult' with you to treat whatever condition you have. Whether that is worthwhile or if they offer 'snake oil' solutions I don't know. I didn't pursue that option with them, I just used them as middle men to get the testing performed.

 

Whenever I look at things like this I ask myself a few questions:

1). is what they are selling validated by a reasonable amount of established research? By established I mean a body of work by more than just a handful of exploratory papers.

2) I also check to see whether there is any reputable notes for similar tests elsewhere (like national health service etc)

3) If it’s diet and nutrition based, I also look at whether there is anything defined in law (like food labelling legislation etc) to corroborate their claims . Most food law is based on research which is reviewed via a panel of scientists and policy experts. This article talks about probiotics for instance which has no permitted health claims by law since there is not sufficient evidence to say what the benefits to health actually are.

4) is what they are saying like marketing spin/advertising or do they use popular lifestyle phrases to try and infer a benefit (rather than state it outright). This normally means they are overselling. If there is a book recommendation at the end or a very quick and easy way of paying at the end of the advert, that is enough to put me off.

In the case of gut biome, I’m not sure anybody knows what’s good, bad or indifferent. Even if stool tests were a valid and meaningful way of measuring it, there is no robust evidence to tell you what the results mean. As far as I can see all the research just draws some pretty loose correlations so far...and most of those are so generic as to be pointless at this stage since any advice on what to do about test results will be highly speculative and not backed up by any robust science.

Regarding parasites, I would look up elsewhere what the diagnostic symptoms and tests are for the common gut parasites you are concerned about

E.g.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/giardiasis/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxocariasis/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxoplasmosis/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tapeworms/

It’s possible you can get these tested by a doctor if you have the right symptom profile. Just these ones from the top of my head (there are others) have very different symptom profiles. I think it’s best to start there.

Having had a Genova test in the past (organic acids including MMA), I wasn’t impressed by the generic nature of the ‘report” that accompanied the results. Had too many woolly ..”this may suggest” phrases in it if I recall correctly and just left me feeling even more unsure/confused (and obviously with a lighter wallet).