1) In “Symbiotic gut microbes modulate human metabolic phenotypes” (2007), Li et al showed that the human gut microbiome has a strong influence on metabolic phenotypic variation within populations. 2) Li et al demonstrates that variation among individuals’ gut microbiomes can help explain differential metabolism and therefore health. 3) The purpose of this paper was to lay a foundation for functional metagenomics, in order to advance knowledge of the wide array of functions that the gut microbiome has within the human body. 4) This study has the potential to lead to increased knowledge about the effects the microbiome has on health, metabolism, and obesity.
