Fecal microbiota transplants – and “poop pills” in particular – have become a hot topic in medicine within the last few years. Recent studies have investigated the ability of poop pills to treat disease, such as Clostridium difficile infections, and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether poop pills are a useful treatment for obesity. See the following links for more information:

Video:Why People Are Taking Poop Pills (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
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Article: http://www.sciencealert.com/human-trials-will-test-freeze-dried-poop-pills-as-a-weight-loss-treatment (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Based on the information you learned while working through this topic module and from the above links, please answer the following questions:

1. What are some potential positive outcomes of taking poop pills from a healthy donor?

2. What are some potential negative outcomes of taking poop pills from a healthy donor?

3. Would you be willing to participate in a treatment or clinical trial as either a donor or receiver of poop pills? Why or why not?

4. Based on what you have learned while working through this topic module, what are some things you can do to maintain a healthy gut microbiome?