When Martha Carlin’s husband John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2002, it launched her on an unexpected journey — not only to support him, but to rethink how we approach chronic illness.
Martha Carlin
Founder, BiotiQuest®
“I didn’t want to just manage symptoms,” Martha recalled. “I wanted to understand why this was happening.”
A former business strategist and systems thinker, Martha began applying her analytical mindset to a new field: the microbiome. She pored through research in immunology, neurology, toxicology, and microbiology — convinced that answers to Parkinson’s — and other chronic diseases — lie in the gut.
The microbiome connection
“The gut is essentially our second brain,” Martha explained. “It houses trillions of microorganisms that influence everything from digestion to immune function to brain health. Yet modern diets, stress, and medications can disrupt this delicate ecosystem, creating a cascade of health problems throughout the body.”
She began to uncover promising connections between diet, gut bacteria, and brain health. One discovery stood out: a compound called mannitol, shown in early research to reduce protein clumping in the brain. Even more intriguing — some gut microbes could produce it naturally by converting sugars like fructose.
A gut-level breakthrough
For years, John managed his Parkinson’s with diet and exercise, but by 2016, his symptoms began to worsen. Around that time, Martha had an insight: What if the gut could be guided to produce mannitol naturally by shifting how it processes sugar?
She shared the idea with fermentation chemist Steve Kazemi. By December, they had developed a prototype — a probiotic blend designed to support microbial activity that transforms sugars like fructose into mannitol.
John began taking it around Christmas. Within a week of taking it, he no longer needed his cane. It wasn’t a cure, but it gave him stability and quality of life.
The birth of Sugar Shift®
That prototype became Sugar Shift®, the flagship probiotic from BiotiQuest®. Formulated with a targeted group of beneficial bacteria, Sugar Shift supports metabolic health by helping convert glucose and fructose in the gut into mannitol — a natural sugar alcohol with antioxidant properties.
“People started telling us how much better they felt — better digestion, fewer cravings, more energy,” Martha said. “That’s when I realized we were onto something far bigger than we imagined.”
The response was overwhelming. People reported improvements in their overall well-being that extended beyond the original focus areas. “What we discovered was that when you support the microbiome properly, the benefits ripple throughout the entire body,” she noted.
Launched in 2021, BiotiQuest’s mission is simple: empower people to restore balance in their gut — and with it, a foundation for better health.
From personal tragedy to public mission
Martha’s work became more than a passion — it became a calling. Over two decades, she built a deep understanding of how microbial ecosystems affect human biology, especially around inflammation, metabolism, and immune response.
In 2024, John passed away due to complications likely tied to long COVID. But the impact of his journey continues to drive Martha’s mission.
“John’s story is at the heart of everything we do,” she said. “His experience gave me a reason to dig deeper — and now it gives others a chance to benefit.”
A new approach to health
At BiotiQuest, the goal is to support wellness at the root level — the gut.
From Sugar Shift for metabolic function, to Ideal Immunity for immune support and Simple Slumber for microbial melatonin production, BiotiQuest’s line of specialized “probiotic guilds” are designed to work with the body’s natural processes.
Each formula represents years of research about how specific bacterial combinations work synergistically. “It’s not about flooding the gut with billions of random bacteria,” Martha explained, “it’s about introducing the right combinations that perform specific functions.”
As more people discover the link between microbial balance and total-body wellness, BiotiQuest continues to grow — fueled by science, story, and a determination to make a difference.
