Human Cells vs Bacteria: Microbiota in Your Body

Your body is 90% bacteria. So that means by 10 to 1, colonies of bacteria outnumber your human cells. Put it another way: we are borderline bacteria.

But there shouldn’t be any negative connotations to our bacteria-dominated bodies. Bacteria break down sugars, digest food, and protect against infections.

And the reason is that your body functions best by evolving with both human cells and bacteria. You wouldn’t be who are you today if it wasn’t for the underappreciated bacteria.

But lately, we’ve recounted only to find that it’s more like a ratio of 6 to 4. Instead, 57% of your body is bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses. And the remainder is about 43% human cells.

A healthy microbiome

100 trillion microbes reside in your body. They live inside your body such as in your colon, gastrointestinal tract, and lungs). And they live on the exterior of your body such as on your skin, mouth, naval, and underarms.

For example, bacteria interact with cells in your intestinal tract. They live in a delicate balance helping cells absorb energy, strengthen the immune system, and protect against infections.

If one bacteria type gets out of balance, it begins to outnumber others. In this case, doctors provide antibacterial medicine because you feel ill from the imbalance. Antibacterial medication like amoxicillin reduces the problematic bacteria and has an overall regulating effect on the number of bacteria.

But anti-bacteria medicine can have a disturbing effect on the microbiome and cause more serious problems. This is why treating imbalances with probiotics have become a major field of research. These beneficial microbes assist in treating disease.

Microbiota in Your Body

The human microbiome is a collection of microorganisms living in our bodies. These organisms help to eradicate disease and keep us healthy, but only if they are kept in balance

As such, it’s important to understand what the microbiome is and how it has changed over time. But if you have any comments or questions, don’t be shy and use our comment form below.