Inflammation balance
Inflammation balance is a summary score that weighs microbes associated in research with a calmer gut environment against those linked with irritation or inflammation. It is an inferred signal from your community's makeup, not a measurement of inflammation in your body.
The mix of microbes in your gut can influence the local environment along your gut lining, and researchers study how certain community patterns track with inflammatory tone. This score is meant to give a general sense of which way your particular sample leans.
A more favorable inflammation-balance score can suggest a community leaning toward the microbes associated with a calmer gut environment. Because it is modeled from composition in a single sample and is compositional (relative), it is a soft signal rather than a measurement or a diagnosis.
A less favorable score can suggest a larger relative share of microbes associated with irritation, which is worth noting as a trend but does not confirm inflammation on its own.
General framing points toward fiber-rich, plant-forward, less ultra-processed eating patterns that tend to support the calmer end of this balance. This is emerging science that cannot measure inflammation directly, so pair the score with how you feel and with a clinician's input, especially if you have gut symptoms.
Sources
Educational context only, not medical advice or a diagnosis. Reference ranges vary by lab, age and sex; always discuss your results with a clinician.