We Are Only 10% Human: Understand the 90% of Microorganisms That Govern Your Health and Happiness (New Edition)

Our bodies are not only made up of muscles and bones, but also bacteria and fungi. These microbes influence our weight, immune system, mental health, and even our choice of partners; they are also a new way to understand modern diseases such as obesity, autism, mental illness, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Based on evolutionary biology, the author studies the symbiotic relationship between microorganisms and humans since ancient times. Microbial genes are also part of our genes, but they evolve faster enough to adjust to the needs of the human body. However, changes in human lifestyle have destroyed the balance of the "microbial ecosystem" in the body. For example, although antibiotics can save lives, they also kill microorganisms that are beneficial to us; modern people's high-fat, high-sugar, and low-fiber eating habits have caused an imbalance in the ratio of "fat" microorganisms and "slim" microorganisms in the body, which in turn causes intestinal diseases and increases the probability of inflammation of body tissues. The prevalence of cesarean section and formula milk deprives newborns of the opportunity to receive beneficial bacteria from their mothers, and even increases the risk of infection with bad bacteria. The good news is that although we cannot change our own "human genes", we can cultivate and improve the microorganisms in our bodies. After reading this book, you will start to love the microorganisms that live in your body - the other 90% of you.