What the science says about how gut bacteria influences metabolism and chronic disease riskStylized conceptual image of gut bacteria.gettyYour gut microbiome may be an even stronger predictor of health than your genes, shaping everything from weight and metabolism to brain health and agingWhy Your Gut Bacteria Matter More Than You ThinkMetabolism is often reduced to a simple equation of calories in versus calories out. Yet research increasingly shows that the trillions of microbes that make up your gut micr ...