The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host health, providing energy and vitamins from food undigested by the gut enzymes of the host. Bacterial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are essentially metabolized by the gut mucosa. The importance to metabolic health of gut microbiota composition versus function is discussed.

中文翻译：

---

肠道微生物群：可变组成的稳定生物反应器？

肠道微生物群在宿主健康中起着至关重要的作用，它从宿主肠道酶未消化的食物中提供能量和维生素。细菌代谢物，例如短链脂肪酸 (SCFA)，基本上是由肠道黏膜代谢的。讨论了肠道微生物群组成与功能对代谢健康的重要性。