Since the initiation of the Human Microbiome Project and the more recent National Microbiome Initiative (NMI) created in 2016 by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in collaboration with federal agencies and private-sector stakeholders, our understanding of the role that the microbiome plays in health and disease is steadily increasing. Although we are still a very long way from fully understanding its role, new research has indicated that the microbiome not only primarily affects the health and function of the gastrointestinal tract but also has a strong influence on general body health.