In recent years， the interaction of tea polyphenols and gut microorganisms has gradually become a research hotspot in food science， nutrition and biology. The active substances from tea polyphenols produced by intestinal microorganism metabolizing have the effects of anti-oxidation， reducing lipid and treating inflammation， etc. The tea polyphenols could affect human health by regulating intestinal microorganism. We mainly summarized the absorption of tea polyphenols in body， the metabolic fate of tea polyphenols by intestinal microorganism， the modulatory effects of catechins on gut microbiota composition， and their effects on reducing blood lipids， reducing fat accumulation， maintaining intestinal barrier， which could provide some references for the study of bidirectional effects of tea polyphenols and intestinal microorganism in improving human health.