This course will discuss the role of intestinal bacteria in maintaining health and in the progression of disease states such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Health benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, and exercise will be addressed with regards to their influence on intestinal bacteria. State-of-the-art techniques currently used to detect and characterize intestinal bacteria will be described. Course includes lectures by leaders in this area of investigation and active class discussion. Emphasis is on application of this information to clinical conditions.