Human microbiome variance is underestimated

Most of the variance in the human microbiome remains unexplained. Although an extensive list of individual lifestyles shaping the microbiome has been identified, important gaps in knowledge persist. Most human microbiome data are from individuals living in socioeconomically developed countries. This may have skewed the interpretation of microbiome variance and its relationship to health and disease. Moreover, striking under-representation of minority groups in microbiome studies is a missed opportunity to assess context, history and the changing nature of the microbiome in relation to the risk of disease. Therefore, we focus here on areas of recent progress - ageing and ethnicity - both of which contribute to microbiome variance with particular lessons for the promise of microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutics.

Automated summary

The majority of the variance in the human microbiome remains unexplained, with gaps in our understanding of the specific mechanisms by which individual lifestyles shape the microbiome. The current data on human microbiome is predominantly from individuals in economically developed countries, potentially biasing the interpretation of microbiome variance and its relationship to health and disease. Additionally, the under-representation of minority groups in microbiome studies is a missed opportunity to evaluate the context, history, and changing nature of the microbiome in relation to disease risk. Therefore, this article focuses on recent progress in the areas of aging and ethnicity, highlighting their contributions to microbiome variance and their implications for microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutics.