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 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 consists of a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that significantly influences our health and metabolic responses.

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 gut microbiome is so diverse that a large sample size is needed to determine what is healthy or unhealthy in it.

A high diversity of the microbiome is associated with a healthy host, suggesting that exposure to various environments, like letting children eat dirt or having pets, can contribute to a healthy microbiome.

The gut microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms throughout the entire digestive tract, not just the stomach, and includes communities in the nose and on the skin, which are beneficial for our hormonal health, brain health, and immune system function.

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 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.