Introduction To Your Gut Microbiome’s 38 Trillion Residents

October 21, 2022

Introduction To Your Gut Microbiome’s 38 Trillion Residents

Your gut microbiome is home to 38 trillion bacteria.

That’s 38,000,000,000,000 microbes. In fact, you have more bacteria cells than human cells. What is their role in human health? 

On March 31, 2022, it was announced for the first time that the entirety of the human genome was completely sequenced.  

The results? 

The complete human genome contains only 19,969 protein coding genes, or “instructions.” This is almost the exact same number of genes as this worm with 19,735 protein coding genes.  However, an estimated 38 trillion microbes are in your gut, containing 150x the genetic information of your own human DNA! This translates to an estimated 2.3 million genes, or 2,300,000 million “instructions” that your gut microbiome contains! 

What instructions are these bacteria giving our bodies?

These microbes can be beneficial or detrimental to your health, or neither. The collection of these microbes, their DNA, and what they do can be described as your gut microbiome.

Bacteria are what makes us human and we can’t live without them.

Follow us as we explore the latest scientific discoveries on bacteria's role in the gut skin connection.

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