Comment by Yawehg on 16/01/2025 at 04:46 UTC*

87 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)

View submission: u/grudginglyadmitted explains the human microbiome

For every one cell in your body that’s yours (contains your DNA) there are somewhere between one and ten that are not—mostly bacteria, but also fungi, viruses, and archaea.

Half of the weight of your body is your microbiome—not your own cells.

Your microbiome is really important, and there are more cells by number than body cells, but it isn't even CLOSE to half your bodyweight. It's less than 1%, this paper estimates 0.2kg total.

OP recommends skepticism about microbiotic claims, and a good example of where that skepticism is helpful is on the comment itself. Glad more people are excited to learn about microbiome though.

Replies

Comment by APiousCultist at 16/01/2025 at 10:11 UTC

19 upvotes, 2 direct replies

They definitely confused half the total number of cells (which may still not be entirely accurate) and half the actual mass.

Comment by AyeMatey at 16/01/2025 at 06:27 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Yes I read that “half your weight” statement and thought, “Really? My femur is pretty heavy!”

ps: The correction you are posting is confusing . So was the original correction on the original thread.