8 things to know about the gut microbiome and keeping yours healthy

In healthy people, the specific makeup of the gut microbiome can vary considerably based on geography, lifestyle, diet, genetics and other factors. diane555/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption diane555/Getty Images In the world of wellness and health content, few areas of our anatomy attract more interest lately — and specious claims — than the gut microbiome. This vast ecosystem of bacteria and microorganisms within our intestines shapes our health in profound ways that go well beyond digesting food — our immune system, mood, cognition, metabolism and much more. But public awareness of the microbiome's central role in our well-being has also given rise to a market of advice-givers and products playing up the idea that we need to constantly test, reset, or somehow optimize this network of bugs inside us. Gut researchers say, in many cases, what's being promoted has leapfrogged the evidence. Here's what some of the leading scientists in the field want you to know: 1. A "healthy" gut microbiome is still hard to define It's a fundamental challenge for the field: In healthy people, the specific makeup of the gut microbiome can vary considerably based on geography, lifestyle, diet, genetics and other factors. Even though the field has made major strides, there's "no clinical or scientific consensus around what constitutes a healthy microbiome," says Hannah Holscher , a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. …