Humans share gut microbes with the people they interact with face-to-face, including family, friends, and other social connections. This means your gut microbiome can serve as a “detailed profile of your social life.”
A study led by researchers at Yale University analyzed the gut microbiomes of 1,787 adults living in isolated villages in Honduras and mapped their social networks. They found that gut microbe species and strains are shared not only between family members, but also between close friends and other social connections.
The gut microbiomes of socially central people (those with more social connections) were more similar to the overall village microbiome than those on the social periphery. Over time, the gut microbes of those with more face-to-face interactions became more similar.
The researchers believe these findings offer universal insights into how human social interactions shape the microbes in our bodies. For those who are socially isolated, their gut microbiome makeup may be different.
The sharing of microbes is not inherently good or bad, but can have health implications. For example, recolonizing gut microbes after antibiotics may often occur through social interactions. Gut microbiomes have also been linked to conditions like obesity, depression, and arthritis.
Source: ScienceAlert
