The human gut harbors trillions of invisible microbial inhabitants, referred to as the microbiota, that collectively produce thousands of unique small molecules. The sources and biological functions of the vast majority of these molecules are unknown.
Yale researchers recently applied a new technology to uncover microbiota-derived chemicals that affect human physiology, revealing a complex network of interactions with potentially broad-reaching impacts on human health."

Source :Yale / Phys.org

(The 2019 paper in the journal Cell referenced in the above article is :A Forward Chemical Genetic Screen Reveals Gut Microbiota Metabolites That Modulate Host Physiology

The human gut microbiota produces thousands of unique small molecules that can potentially affect nearly all aspects of human physiology, from regulating immunity in the gut to shaping mood and behavior"

Since the human gut microbiome is extremely variable from one individual to another - and even within the same individual over time - it may prove an almost impossible task to investigate and document possible chemical interactions.

The numbers for the size of a 'normal' human gut microbiome (i.e. the number of microorganisms present) are currently disputed. Estimates vary from 10X the number of cells in the human body down to 3X ^{(ref. needed)}

The microbiome is not only composed of bacteria - there are also eukaryotes, archaea, and viruses.

A new group has recently been added to the list - fungi. They are of particular interest because of the powerful bio-chemicals (e.g antibiotics) which it's assumed they produce in the gut as by-products. These chemicals could be playing a strong part in the regulation of gut bacteria. The extent, range, (and possible medical potential) of gut fungi are currently unknown. See : PNAS 118 (18) e2019855118

A further complicating factor is that many foodstuffs host vast populations of live organisms which can go on to substantially affect the human gut microbiome. Most of the implications remain entirely unknown.

A 2024 pan-European study examined 2,500 different foodstuffs, pointing out that :

Despite extensive studies on nutrition and the abiotic components of food, the food microbiome remains largely uncharacterized.
Source :Unexplored microbial diversity from 2,500 food metagenomes and links with the human microbiome Cell, 187, 1–21

Also see Archaeomeplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigArchaeome

The human Microbiome (a.k.a. Microbiota) has been the focus of intense research for many decades. We are hosts to a vast array of microorganisms, including bacteria, eukaryotes, archaea, fungi and viruses - many of which are now known to be beneficial to human health, while many others are classed as pathogens. and Psychobioticsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigPsychobiotics

It's been known for many years that the microbiome (the bacterial and viral components of gut contents) can affect the physical wellbeing of mammals, including humans.

It's recently been suggested that the micro-organisms might also be able to affect humans'

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