Summary
This scoping review, published in People and Nature, synthesises the emerging evidence base connecting soil microbiome diversity with human gut health, likely drawing on the biodiversity–human health hypothesis and the concept of environmental microbial transfer. The authors map the scope of available research, identifying key exposure pathways, study designs, and evidence gaps across the literature. The review is likely to highlight the paucity of direct mechanistic or clinical evidence while pointing to observational and experimental studies suggestive of a positive relationship between soil biodiversity and gut microbiome richness.
UK applicability
The findings are broadly applicable to the UK context, particularly given growing policy interest in green space, urban nature exposure, and One Health frameworks; UK land management and urban greening strategies may benefit from considering soil microbial diversity as a component of public health.
Key measures
Gut microbiome diversity indices; soil microbial community composition; human health outcomes associated with soil exposure; number and scope of included studies
Outcomes reported
The review examined evidence linking soil microbial diversity and human exposure to soil environments with gut microbiome composition and health outcomes. It assessed the breadth of published literature on pathways through which soil microbiota may influence human gut health.
Topic tags
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