Bacterial balance keeps us healthy: Microbial genes in gut outnumber genes in human body

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 09:22 in Biology & Nature

The thousands of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that live in our gut are essential contributors to our good health. They break down toxins, manufacture some vitamins and essential amino acids, and form a barrier against invaders. A new study shows that, at 3.3 million, microbial genes in our gut outnumber previous estimates for the whole of the human body.

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