Metabolic control by the microbiome

The interaction between the metabolic activities of the intestinal microbiome and its host forms an important part of health. The basis of this interaction is in part mediated by the release of microbially-derived metabolites that enter the circulation. These products of microbial metabolism thereby interface with the immune, metabolic, or nervous systems of the host to influence physiology. Here, we review the interactions between the metabolic activities of the microbiome and the systemic metabolism of the host. The concept that the endocrine system includes more than just the eukaryotic host component enables the rational design of exogenous interventions that shape human metabolism. An improved mechanistic understanding of the metabolic microbiome-host interaction may therefore pioneer actionable microbiota-based diagnostics or therapeutics that allow the control of host systemic metabolism via the microbiome.