Gut Health Test

• Functional output – provides information on selected metabolites related to how your gut bacteria and body work together
• Science-backed markers – analyzes three key tryptophan-related metabolites associated with gut, immune, and metabolic processes
• Advanced analysis – uses HPLC-UV-FLD technology for precise results
• Balance insights – shows how a gut bacteria-derived metabolite relates to other reported markers
• Clear scoring – your results distilled into an easy-to-read Gut Health Index
• Personalized guidance – result-based diet and lifestyle guidance, with a focus on fiber and polyphenols, based on your unique results
• Simple at-home self-test – dried blood spot (DBS) collection, no stool sample required

• Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) – IPA level – a gut bacteria-derived metabolite produced from dietary tryptophan. Higher levels have been associated in research with markers related to gut barrier integrity and oxidative stress processes. IPA is increasingly recognized as a key marker related to gut microbiota function.

• Tryptophan (TRP) – an essential amino acid obtained from the diet that serves as the precursor (starting material) for both IPA and kynurenine. Tryptophan availability and how it is metabolized can be related to gut function, immune response activity and metabolic balance.

• Kynurenine (KYN) – a metabolite produced from tryptophan through the kynurenine pathway, often associated with increased immune response activity. Higher kynurenine levels and an elevated KYN ratio are associated with immune activation and a shift away from IPA-related microbial metabolite production.

We also calculate these key ratios:

• IPA:TRP ratio – Gut microbiome efficiency –reflects the proportion of dietary tryptophan converted by gut bacteria into IPA, influenced by gut microbiota composition and diet.

• KYN:TRP ratio – Immune stress indicator – a marker related to immune activation and load. 

• IPA:KYN ratio – Microbiome immune support – a relative balance score showing the relationship between IPA-related and kynurenine-related pathways in tryptophan metabolism. 

Your report also includes a Gut Health Index, integrating all measured markers and ratios into a clear, easy-to-understand overview of your gut-immune-metabolic marker profile. 

Why tryptophan metabolism matters

Tryptophan metabolism is increasingly recognized as an important area of research connecting gut, immune, brain, and metabolic processes. Gut bacteria transform tryptophan into a range of indole metabolites, including IPA – a microbial metabolite studied in relation to gut barrier integrity, immune responses, and oxidative stress processes.

Emerging research shows that higher IPA levels are associated with metabolic flexibility, glucose regulation, and immune function. Conversely, when tryptophan metabolism is shifted, more of it may be diverted into the kynurenine pathway – a route often associated with the body’s stress and immune response activity.

This metabolic crossroad between the body and gut bacteria is no longer a scientific curiosity – it is now seen as an important area of research in intestinal and systemic balance. By analyzing your tryptophan metabolism profile, this test provides information about the functional output of your gut bacteria and how it relates to immune and metabolic pathways – helping you make informed diet and lifestyle choices based on your results.

Certified & secure testing

• Independent laboratory – analyzed by Vitas, a GMP-certified lab with 25+ years of experience in high-quality chromatographic analysis.

• Anonymous results – your sample is linked only to your unique test ID; neither Zinzino nor the lab can identify you.

1. For optimal accuracy, perform this test on an empty stomach. Take your test in the morning after an overnight fast of at least 10 hours and complete it before consuming any food.

Only water is permitted during the fasting period. Zinzino Test is an approved in vitro diagnostics product for personal blood sample collection at home.

– First wash your hands with soap and rinse well with warm water and dry them.

2. Take out the sample card from the paper envelope.

Save the envelope for later use.

Tear off the SAVE part on the sample card and take a picture of the Test ID. You can ONLY see YOUR test result with your anonymous Test ID. Place the card with the two circles facing up on the table.

3. Stimulate blood flow by making big circles with your arm or shaking the hand downwards for 20 seconds.

4. Take out the single-use lancet. Remove the transparent safety cap and the lancet is ready to use.

Use alcohol wipe to clean the tip of your finger (middle finger is recommended).

Place the lancet against the lower part of the fingertip facing the collection paper on the table. Push the top of the lancet towards the finger until you hear a click. The lancet will automatically make a small prick in the finger

5. Do not touch the filter paper with your fingers.

6.  Fill one circle at a time with blood. Squeeze your finger gently and wait for a drop of blood to fall inside the circle by itself. If one drop of blood does not cover the circle, allow one more drop from your finger to drip immediately.

Leave the sample card in a horizontal position in room temperature for at least 10 minutes for the samples to dry well.

7. Insert the sample card back into the paper envelope. Then place the paper envelope into the metal bag and close it.

IMORTANT: 
Do not remove desiccant packet inside the metal bag.

8. Place the closed metal bag into the big envelope with the laboratory address on it.

Certified test kit
The Zinzino Dried Blood Spot Test complies with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR) and is manufactured under a quality management system certified to ISO 13485. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements allows the test kit to bear the CE mark. 

NOTE:
You MUST put the correct amount of postage stamps on the envelope before you put it in the mail box.

Go to internet and register your test code on www.zinzinotest.com. This is the web page where you can see your test results later. It takes 10–20 days until your result is ready.

IMPORTANT:
Keep the SAVE part of the card. You can ONLY see YOUR test result on the internet with your anonymous Test ID.

By submitting my anonymous blood spot sample to an independent chemical analysis lab, I confirm that I understand and acknowledge that it will be analyzed solely for the purpose of generating my individual test results. If you later wish to delete your test code, log in with your test code at zinzinotest.com.