Here we are at the end of another productive year in the field of gut microbiota and health! Our editorial team has been keen on following all the latest developments of the past twelve months -- so in this newsletter, check out our editor's picks for the top advancements in gut microbiota science of 2017 (1).

Our selection of articles in this newsletter includes (2) a mouse study highlighting a mechanism by which the microbiota influence the gut immune system, (3) a study comparing the health-protective effects of the gut microbiota between wild mice and laboratory mice, and (4) a report showing the circumstances under which bacterial strains from the human salivary microbiota are able to colonize the mouse gut and induce chronic intestinal inflammation.

In the realm of nutrition and gut microbiota, see our interview (5) with Dr. Henrik Roager of the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, on understanding gut microbiota responses to dietary whole grains.

As you begin to plan for the coming year, don't forget to check out the website for the 2018 GMFH World Summit, to be held in Rome on March 10th and 11th, 2018! We hope to see you there.

Wishing you a very happy 2018,
The GMFH publishing team