Researchers will use the stool and saliva samples collected in these Microbiome substudies to investigate the role of the gut and oral microbiomes in overall health and risk of developing cancer.
The stool samples provide a "snapshot" of the participant's unique gut microbiome—the collection of microorganisms (like bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live inside everyone's digestive system. The saliva samples will similarly provide a “snapshot” of the oral microbiome—the microbes that live inside everyone's mouths.
Our gut and oral microbiomes are shaped by diet, lifestyle, genetics, and environmental factors. These microbiomes play an important role in the absorption of nutrients and minerals, our immune system, and in chronic health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, heart disease, and colorectal cancer.