Chapter 17 of 30 · 17 min read
By Omar AbdohUpdated
What this chapter covers
You do not absorb what you eat. You absorb what your gut successfully extracts from what you eat — and those are very different numbers.
Your digestive tract is a tube roughly nine metres long, lined with a surface area of about 30 square metres, populated by something on the order of 38 trillion bacterial cells. That bacterial population carries more genes than your own genome by a wide margin.
This book is educational and is not medical advice. It cannot account for your medical history, medication or injuries. Speak to a qualified clinician before changing how you eat or train, particularly if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or returning from injury.
This chapter is part of the complete edition. Read chapter 1 free or see what is included.
Gut Health and Digestion
The microbiome's role in nutrient absorption and fat loss.
The microbiome's role in nutrient absorption and fat loss.
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