Knowledge · Topics
Gut and Microbiome
Which substances affect the gut barrier and microbiome—and what evidence exists in humans?
The gut microbiome has become a focal point for numerous health claims. Here, we outline which substances have been investigated in this context and the level of evidence supporting each.
1. Substances Investigated in This Context
The overview shows the number of studies available per substance and type of investigation. A single study may be assigned to multiple topics—therefore, the numbers are not additive but instead describe each subset individually.
| Substance | Human Studies | Controlled Human Studies | Human Tissue Studies | Preliminary Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gut Microbiome | 3282 | 468 | 237 | 4210 |
| Chronic Inflammation | 585 | 61 | 28 | 587 |
| Vitamin D | 181 | 28 | 13 | 131 |
| Turmeric and Curcumin | 171 | 49 | 44 | 401 |
| Adaptogens | 82 | 22 | 36 | 266 |
| Humic Acid Complexes | 7 | 4 | 2 | 111 |
2. All Substances and Therapies with Controlled Studies on Gut and Microbiome
69 substance and therapy pages assign controlled human studies to this area. The number comes from each page; one study can belong to several areas.
3. The Most Robust Studies
Ranked by strength of evidence, not by prominence.
Controlled Human Study
- 1 Phase IIa clinical trial of curcumin for the prevention of colorectal neoplasia (2011)
- 2 Comparative absorption of curcumin formulations (2014)
- 3 Faecal microbiota transplantation with anti-inflammatory diet (FMT-AID) followed by anti-inflammatory diet alone is effective in inducing and maintaining [remission] (2022)
- 4 Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicentre study (2014)
- 5 Analysis of different innovative formulations of curcumin for improved relative oral bioavailability in human subjects (2018)
- 6 Effects of turmeric and curcumin dietary supplementation on human gut microbiota: A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled pilot study (2018)
- 7 The influence of an anti-inflammatory diet on gingivitis: A randomised controlled trial (2019)
- 8 Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial (2010)
- 9 Anti-inflammatory diet prevents subclinical colonic inflammation and alters metabolomic profile of ulcerative colitis patients in clinical remission (2022)
- 10 Endotoxins and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (2021)
- 11 Curcumin supplementation and human disease: A scoping review of clinical trials (2023)
- 12 Efficacy of curcumin and Boswellia for knee osteoarthritis: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
- 13 A Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Use of Curcumin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (2018)
- 14 Probiotic supplementation during antibiotic treatment is unjustified for maintaining gut microbiome diversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2023)
- 15 Clinical efficacy and safety of Aidi injection plus paclitaxel-based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis of 31 randomised controlled trials (2019)
- 16 Randomised Pharmacokinetic Crossover Study Comparing Two Curcumin Preparations in Plasma and Rectal Tissue of Healthy Human Volunteers (2017)
- 17 Inulin-type fructans and 2'-fucosyllactose alter both microbial composition and appear to alleviate stress-induced mood states in a working population: a randomised controlled trial (2023)
- 18 The Effect of Curcumin Varies Across Individual Cognitive Domains in Different Patient Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2021)
- 19 Effectiveness of an Alcohol-Free Chitosan-Curcuminoid Mouthwash Compared with Chlorhexidine Mouthwash in the Treatment of Denture Stomatitis: A Randomised Controlled Trial (2019)
- 20 Can curcumin supplementation break the vicious cycle of inflammation, oxidative stress, and uraemia in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis? (2024)
Sources
- 1Carroll RE, Benya RV, Turgeon DK, Vareed S, Neuman M, Rodriguez L et al. · 2011
- 2Jäger R, Lowery RP, Calvanese AV, Joy JM, Purpura M, Wilson JM · 2014
- 3Kedia S, Virmani S, K Vuyyuru S, Kumar P, Kante B, Sahu P et al. · 2022
- 4Kuptniratsaikul V, Dajpratham P, Taechaarpornkul W, Buntragulpoontawee M, Lukkanapichonchut P, Chootip C et al. · 2014
- 5Purpura M, Lowery RP, Wilson JM, Mannan H, Münch G, Razmovski-Naumovski V · 2018
- 6Peterson CT, Vaughn AR, Sharma V, Chopra D, Mills PJ, Peterson SN et al. · 2018
- 7Woelber JP, Gärtner M, Breuninger L, Anderson A, König D, Hellwig E et al. · 2019
- 8
- 9Keshteli AH, Valcheva R, Nickurak C, Park H, Mandal R, van Diepen K et al. · 2022
- 10Kessoku T, Kobayashi T, Imajo K, Tanaka K, Yamamoto A, Takahashi K et al. · 2021
- 11Panknin TM, Howe CL, Hauer M, Bucchireddigari B, Rossi AM, Funk JL · 2023
- 12Bannuru RR, Osani MC, Al-Eid F, Wang C · 2018
- 13Ng QX, Soh AYS, Loke W, Venkatanarayanan N, Lim DY, Yeo WS · 2018
- 14Éliás AJ, Barna V, Patoni C, Demeter D, Veres DS, Bunduc S et al. · 2023
- 15Xiao Z, Wang C, Zhou M, Hu S, Jiang Y, Huang X et al. · 2019
- 16Asher GN, Xie Y, Moaddel R, Sanghvi M, Dossou KS, Kashuba AD et al. · 2017
- 17Jackson PP, Wijeyesekera A, Williams CM, Theis S, van Harsselaar J, Rastall RA · 2023
- 18Tsai IC, Hsu CW, Chang CH, Tseng PT, Chang KV · 2021
- 19Mustafa MW, Ungphaiboon S, Phadoongsombut N, Pangsomboon K, Chelae S, Mahattanadul S · 2019
- 20Reis DCMV, Alvarenga L, Cardozo LFMF, Baptista BG, Fanton S, Paiva BR et al. · 2024
Every statement on this page carries its evidence tier — proven, plausible or hypothesis — and leads to the original work. The decision in the individual case rests with the practitioner; we provide the connections.