Open access dataset reveals how factors such as diet, antibiotics and mental health status can influence the microbial and molecular makeup of your gut
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators have published the first major results from the American Gut Project , a crowdsourced, global citizen science effort. The project, described May 15 in mSystems , is the largest published study to date of the human microbiome — the unique microbial communities that inhabit our bodies.
This publication provides the largest public reference database of the human gut microbiome, which may help drive many future microbiome studies. What’s more, according to the research team, the success of the American Gut Project validates citizen science as a practical model for engaging the public in research.