The microbiome, an ecosystem of healthy bacteria in the gut, governs the gut-brain connection and plays a crucial role in mental health.

The human microbiome plays a crucial role in how individuals respond to nutrition, and it can be altered, unlike genetics, which opens up possibilities for improving health through dietary changes.

The microbiome is linked to mental health and cognition, suggesting it may influence decision-making, although more research is needed to understand this relationship.

The Human Microbiome Project aimed to define healthy versus diseased microbiomes by studying diverse populations, revealing significant individuality in gut microbiomes and the challenges in establishing universal health standards. Additionally, the microbiomes of traditional populations represent the closest approximation to how our ancestors lived, suggesting that our current industrialized microbiome may be deteriorating due to factors like antibiotic use and a Western diet.

The gut microbiome is critical for modulating our immune status, and changes in diet can fundamentally alter how the immune system operates, potentially reducing inflammation and disease risk.

The Human Microbiome Project documented the microbiome of healthy Americans, but it may have actually recorded a perturbed microbiota that predisposes individuals to inflammatory and metabolic diseases.

A healthy microbiome supports the immune system, metabolism, and gut-brain axis, but defining what constitutes a healthy versus unhealthy microbiome is complex and varies between individuals and populations.

We observed significant changes in participants' microbiomes in response to good and bad diets, aligning with existing literature on beneficial and harmful bacteria.

Microbes can reflect our health status and actively affect our health, as shown in studies by Jeff Gordon's group at Washington University.