In a recent perspectives article published in the journal Nature Metabolism , researchers unravel cutting-edge advances in human gut microbial community metabolism, highlighting current challenges faced in the field. They provide recommendations for current computational tools and methodologies that may streamline and standardize such studies, emphasizing the benefits of linking individual-specific microbial assemblages and their metabolic pathway and extrapolating these findings to the ecosystem level. Finally, they list the best practices for gut microbiome research aimed at revolutionizing microbiome manipulation and therapeutic approaches in the not-so-distant future.

Perspective: Emerging tools and best practices for studying gut microbial community metabolism . Image Credit: Anatomy Image / Shutterstock The 'gut microbiome,' also known as 'gut microbiota' or 'gut flora,' is the summation of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea that inhabit the digestive tracts of animals (called their 'hosts') in a predominantly symbiotic association. Research has investigated this symbiotic relationship in humans and model organisms and revealed that the community composition, relative diversity, and abundance of these microbes profoundly impact the chemical composition of the hosts' bodies, strongly influencing the latter's health.

While conventionally believed to influence hosts' health via the modulation of the digestive system functioning, a growing body of evidence highlights the.