Scientists have revealed close to 60% of your body is not human, the BBC reported.
There are only close to 43% human cells, while the rest are microbiomes, which is essential for our health. These include bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea.
The find could help researchers discover new ways to treat a host of diseases.
"You're more microbe than you are human," Prof Rob Knight, from University of California San Diego, told the BBC. "We're finding ways that these tiny creatures totally transform our health in ways we never imagined until recently," Professor Knight explained.
These microbial materials play a crucial role in digestion, regulating the immune system, fighting disease and producing essential vitamins.
While we have used antibiotics and vaccines to attack these microbes, researchers are looking into the benefits vital for our existence.
"We have over the past 50 years done a terrific job of eliminating infectious disease," Prof Ruth Ley, the director of the department of microbiome science at the Max Planck Institute, told the BBC. "But we have seen an enormous and terrifying increase in autoimmune disease and in allergy.
"Where work on the microbiome comes in is seeing how changes in the microbiome, that happened as a result of the success we've had fighting pathogens, have now contributed to a whole new set of diseases that we have to deal with."
Keeping a close eye on the microbiome will help researchers gain more insight about our health.
