Raising and diagnosing of serotonin level

A method for estimating a human target's health risk associated with serotonin depletion, comprising determining the percentage of bifidobacteria and clostridia in total fecal microbiota of a fecal sample obtained from the target using 16sRNA hybridization, DNA staining, and/or flow cytometry, and calculating a ratio of said bifidobacteria to said clostridia in the sample, wherein the calculated ratio of less than 1 indicates that the target's health risk is increased.

A method for selecting a form of therapy for raising the serotonin level in a human target, comprising determining the percentage of bifidobacteria and clostridia in total fecal microbiota of a fecal sample obtained from the target using 16sRNA hybridization, DNA staining, and/or flow cytometry, and calculating a ratio of said bifidobacteria to said clostridia in the sample, wherein the calculated ratio of less than 1 indicates that the form of therapy to be selected for raising the serotonin level in the target comprises administering to the target a product which increases the relative proportion of bifidobacteria to clostridia in the intestine of the target.

A method for raising serotonin level in a human target, in which method the target in need of this kind of treatment has a ratio of bifidobacteria to clostridia of less than 1 in a fecal sample obtained from the target using 16sRNA hybridization, DNA staining, and/or flow cytometry, and the method comprises administering a potent amount of a product which increases the relative proportion of bifidobacteria to clostridia in the intestine of the target for raising the serotonin level in the target.