Not of the same blood, but sharing common microbes: friends truly have something in common (photo).

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine our lives without friends. These are the people with whom we share experiences, hobbies, food, emotions, and much more. However, scientists have now discovered something less obvious: we also share gut microbes with our friends, as reported by Science Alert.

In simple terms, researchers concluded that our personal microbiota actually serves as a detailed profile of our social lives. In their recent study, they focused on how personal social interactions significantly influence the human gut microbiome — the results are intriguing.

The research was conducted by a team from Yale University led by Francesco Begini and Jackson Pullman. Their analysis involved correlating the social network maps of 1,787 adults living in isolated villages in Honduras with detailed analyses of the microbes residing in each participant's gut. They also gathered information about the villagers' social networks to create a comprehensive picture of who spent time with whom in the community.

The data used by the researchers came from a larger project that started in 2013 in collaboration with local and regional health authorities, as well as community leaders, and was not solely intended for research purposes. The goal also included diagnosing and treating participants.

During the data collection, participants were instructed on how to collect their own stool samples, which were then given to a local team that refrigerated them and sent them to the U.S. for analysis. Notably, the larger project covered 176 villages, while the researchers in this new study focused on samples collected from 18 particularly isolated settlements in the western highlands of Honduras.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature and indicate that the types and strains of microbes are distributed not only among families but also through other connections, such as close friends.

Researchers also found that the gut flora of socially central individuals — those with the broadest social connections in the community — is more similar to the flora of the entire village than that of people living on the social periphery.

The results also suggest that the exchange of strains intensifies through social ties over time. For instance, among 301 individuals whose microbiomes were remeasured after two years, the strains of those with the most social contacts became more alike. For those who increasingly isolate themselves from personal interactions, a reduction in contact with others will almost certainly affect the composition of their microbiome.

Unfortunately, scientists are not yet ready to determine the role this exchange of gut bacteria plays in human life. As with most biological phenomena, it is likely dependent on a variety of factors.

It is worth noting that previous studies have also linked gut microbiomes to mental and physical illnesses that are otherwise not considered biologically contagious, such as obesity, depression, and arthritis.

In the future, researchers plan to conduct studies in other parts of the world for a larger sample size. However, they believe that their findings hold general significance and are not tied to a specific location or group of people.

Important! This article is based on the latest scientific and medical research and does not contradict it. The text is for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice. For diagnosis, it is essential to consult a physician.