Milk, dark or white? Your choice of chocolate influences what microbes are in your gut. The largest ever study of human microbiomes has identified 69 factors that shape your gut bacteria, including chocolate consumption, how much sleep you get and whether you smoke or drink alcohol. Jeroen Raes at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) in Belgium and his colleagues sequenced the microbiomes of 1100 people. They then compared the results with individuals' blood tests and their answers to a lifestyle survey (Science, doi.org/bfrf). "I think it's extremely funny that, of all things, chocolate comes up in this Belgian population," says Raes.
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