Myths about the microbiome abound – but the truth is more interesting

YOU may have heard that your microbiome – the microbes that reside in your gut and elsewhere around your body – outnumber human cells by a whopping 10 to 1. Or that, combined, this incredible mass adds up to as much as 2 kilograms of your body weight. These notions have become widespread over the past few years as scientific and public interest in the microbiome has grown, with much of that interest concerning whether it could be the key to unlocking better health.

But as alluring as they are, these “facts” aren’t true – not even close. Your ratio of …