Not all elements which are found in the human body in trace quantities play a role in life. Some of these elements are thought to be simple common contaminants without function (examples: caesium, titanium), while many others are thought to be active toxins, depending on amount (cadmium, mercury, lead, radioactives). In humans, arsenic is toxic, and its levels in foods and dietary supplements are closely monitored to reduce or eliminate its intake.
Some elements (silicon, boron, nickel, vanadium) are probably needed by mammals also, but in far smaller doses. Bromine is used by some (though not all) bacteria, fungi, diatoms, and seaweeds, and opportunistically in eosinophils in humans. One study has indicated bromine to be necessary to collagen IV synthesis in humans. Fluorine is used by a number of plants to manufacture toxins but in humans its only known function is as a local topical hardening agent in tooth enamel.
The relative amounts of each element vary by individual, mainly due to differences in the proportion of fat, muscle and bone in their body. Persons with more fat will have a higher proportion of carbon and a lower proportion of most other elements (the proportion of hydrogen will be about the same).
The numbers in the table are averages of different numbers reported by different references.
The adult human body averages ~53% water. This varies substantially by age, sex, and adiposity. In a large sample of adults of all ages and both sexes, the figure for water fraction by weight was found to be 48 ±6% for females and 58 ±8% water for males. Water is ~11% hydrogen by mass but ~67% hydrogen by atomic percent, and these numbers along with the complementary % numbers for oxygen in water, are the largest contributors to overall mass and atomic composition figures. Because of water content, the human body contains more oxygen by mass than any other element, but more hydrogen by atom-fraction than any element.
Of the 94 naturally occurring chemical elements, 76 are listed in the table above. Of the remaining 18, it is not known how many occur in the human body.
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (June 2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. PMID 30939379. S2CID 92997696. /wiki/Jan_Aaseth
"Arsenic in Food and Dietary Supplements". US Food and Drug Administration. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628190835/https://www.fda.gov/food/metals/arsenic-food-and-dietary-supplements
McCall AS, Cummings CF, Bhave G, Vanacore R, Page-McCaw A, Hudson BG (2014). "Bromine Is an Essential Trace Element for Assembly of Collagen IV Scaffolds in Tissue Development and Architecture". Cell. 157 (6): 1380–92. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.009. PMC 4144415. PMID 24906154. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144415
Nelson DL, Cox MM (2021). Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (8th ed.). New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-319-23090-6. 978-1-319-23090-6
"Questions and Answers - How many atoms are in the human body?". education.jlab.org. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://education.jlab.org/qa/mathatom_04.html
"Ultratrace minerals". Authors: Nielsen, Forrest H. USDA, ARS Source: Modern nutrition in health and disease / editors, Maurice E. Shils ... et al.. Baltimore : Williams & Wilkins, c. 1999, p. 283-303. Issue Date: 1999 URI: [1] http://hdl.handle.net/10113/46493
Use WP:CALC for the mean of means for males and females, since the two groups are of about equal size /wiki/Wikipedia:CALC
See table 1. here http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/33/1/27.full.pdf
"Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide 14. Appendix F". US Food and Drug Administration. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20170404170950/https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm
Institute of Medicine (29 September 2006). Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press. pp. 313–19, 415–22. ISBN 978-0-309-15742-1. Retrieved 21 June 2016. 978-0-309-15742-1
Chang R (2007). Chemistry, Ninth Edition. McGraw-Hill. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-07-110595-8. 978-0-07-110595-8
Frausto Da Silva JJ, Williams RJ (2001-08-16). The Biological Chemistry of the Elements: The Inorganic Chemistry of Life. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-850848-9. 978-0-19-850848-9
Zumdahl SS (2000). Chemistry, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 894. ISBN 978-0-395-98581-6.) 978-0-395-98581-6
Cohn S, Vaswani A, Zanzi I, Aloia J, Roginsky M, Ellis K (January 1976). "Changes in body chemical composition with age measured by total-body neutron activation". Metabolism. 25 (1): 85–96. doi:10.1016/0026-0495(76)90163-3. PMID 1246210. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0026049576901633
Aloia JF, Vaswani A, Ma R, Flaster E (March 1997). "Comparison of body composition in black and white premenopausal women". Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 129 (3): 294–299. doi:10.1016/S0022-2143(97)90177-3. PMID 9042814. https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0022-2143%2897%2990177-3
Emsley J (25 August 2011). Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. OUP Oxford. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-19-960563-7. Retrieved 17 June 2016. 978-0-19-960563-7
Nielsen FH. "Ultratrace minerals". Modern nutrition in health and disease / editors, Maurice E. Shils ... [et al.] Retrieved 4 April 2023 – via PubAg. https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/46493
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Arunabh S, Feuerman M, Ma R, Aloia JF (February 2002). "Total body phosphorus in healthy women and ethnic variations". Metabolism. 51 (2): 180–183. doi:10.1053/meta.2002.29984. PMID 11833045. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0026049502450901
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Shypailo RJ, Wong WW (2020). "Fat and fat-free mass index references in children and young adults: assessments along racial and ethnic lines". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 112 (3): 566–575. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa128. PMID 32469402. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0002916522008292
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
Salm S, Allen D, Nester E, Anderson D (9 January 2015). Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective. Mcgraw-hill Us Higher Ed. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-07-773093-2. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-0-07-773093-2
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and New Zealand Ministry of Health (MoH) https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/fluoride
"Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of Fluoridation and Regulation Issues" https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33280.pdf
"Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fluoride" (PDF). EFSA Journal. 11 (8): 3332. 2013. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3332. ISSN 1831-4732. http://orbit.dtu.dk/files/57406955/17%20dietary%20ref.pdf
"WHO/SDE/WSH/03.04/96 "Fluoride in Drinking-water"" (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/fluoride.pdf
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Muhammad Ansar Farooq, Karl-Josef Dietz (2015). "Silicon as Versatile Player in Plant and Human Biology: Overlooked and Poorly Understood". Front. Plant Sci. 6 (994): 994. doi:10.3389/fpls.2015.00994. PMC 4641902. PMID 26617630. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4641902
Ivanoff CS, Ivanoff AE, Hottel TL (February 2012). "Gallium poisoning: a rare case report". Food Chem. Toxicol. 50 (2): 212–5. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2011.10.041. PMID 22024274. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
McCall AS, Cummings CF, Bhave G, Vanacore R, Page-McCaw A, Hudson BG (June 2014). "Bromine is an essential trace element for assembly of collagen IV scaffolds in tissue development and architecture". Cell. 157 (6): 1380–92. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.009. PMC 4144415. PMID 24906154. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144415
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (June 2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. PMID 30939379. S2CID 92997696. /wiki/Jan_Aaseth
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Institute of Medicine (29 September 2006). Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press. pp. 313–19, 415–22. ISBN 978-0-309-15742-1. Retrieved 21 June 2016. 978-0-309-15742-1
Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Mineral (2003), boron p. 164-71, nickel p. 225-31, EVM, Food Standards Agency, UK ISBN 1-904026-11-7 https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/vitmin2003.pdf
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (June 2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. PMID 30939379. S2CID 92997696. /wiki/Jan_Aaseth
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (June 2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. PMID 30939379. S2CID 92997696. /wiki/Jan_Aaseth
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (June 2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. PMID 30939379. S2CID 92997696. /wiki/Jan_Aaseth
"Arsenic in Food and Dietary Supplements". US Food and Drug Administration. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628190835/https://www.fda.gov/food/metals/arsenic-food-and-dietary-supplements
Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1 February 1989). "9-10". Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 978-0-309-04633-6
"Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Retrieved 4 April 2023. https://unblock.federalregister.gov/
Yamada K (2013). "Cobalt: Its Role in Health and Disease". Interrelations between Essential Metal Ions and Human Diseases. Metal Ions in Life Sciences. Vol. 13. pp. 295–320. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7500-8_9. ISBN 978-94-007-7499-5. ISSN 1559-0836. PMID 24470095. 978-94-007-7499-5
Banci L (18 April 2013). Metallomics and the Cell. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 333–368. ISBN 978-94-007-5561-1. Retrieved 19 June 2016. 978-94-007-5561-1
Toeniskoetter S (2020). "Ruthenium". Biochemical Periodic Table. http://eawag-bbd.ethz.ch/periodic/elements/ru.html
Fratoddi I, Venditti I, Cametti C, Russo MV (2015). "How toxic are gold nanoparticles? The state-of-the-art". Nano Research. 8 (6): 1771–1799. doi:10.1007/s12274-014-0697-3. hdl:11573/780610. ISSN 1998-0124. S2CID 84837060. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
"Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of gold (E 175) as a food additive". EFSA Journal. 14 (1): 4362. 2016. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4362. ISSN 1831-4732. https://doi.org/10.2903%2Fj.efsa.2016.4362
Hillyer JF, Albrecht RM (2001). "Gastrointestinal persorption and tissue distribution of differently sized colloidal gold nanoparticles". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 90 (12): 1927–1936. doi:10.1002/jps.1143. ISSN 0022-3549. PMID 11745751. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Institute of Medicine (29 September 2006). Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press. pp. 313–19, 415–22. ISBN 978-0-309-15742-1. Retrieved 21 June 2016. 978-0-309-15742-1
Willhite CC, Karyakina NA, Yokel RA, Yenugadhati N, Wisniewski TM, Arnold IM, et al. (2014-09-18). "Systematic review of potential health risks posed by pharmaceutical, occupational and consumer exposures to metallic and nanoscale aluminum, aluminum oxides, aluminum hydroxide and its soluble salts". Critical Reviews in Toxicology. 44 (sup4): 1–80. doi:10.3109/10408444.2014.934439. ISSN 1040-8444. PMC 4997813. PMID 25233067. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997813
Mizutani K, Mikami B, Aibara S, Hirose M (2005). "Structure of aluminium-bound ovotransferrin at 2.15 Å resolution". Acta Crystallographica Section D. 61 (12): 1636–42. doi:10.1107/S090744490503266X. PMID 16301797. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Ultratrace minerals. Authors: Nielsen, Forrest H. USDA, ARS Source: Modern nutrition in health and disease / editors, Maurice E. Shils, et al. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, c1999.[clarify], p. 283–303. Issue date: 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10113/46493
Szklarska D, Rzymski P (May 2019). "Is Lithium a Micronutrient? From Biological Activity and Epidemiological Observation to Food Fortification". Biol Trace Elem Res. 189 (1): 18–27. doi:10.1007/s12011-018-1455-2. PMC 6443601. PMID 30066063. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6443601
Enderle J, Klink U, di Giuseppe R, Koch M, Seidel U, Weber K, et al. (August 2020). "Plasma Lithium Levels in a General Population: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Metabolic and Dietary Correlates". Nutrients. 12 (8): 2489. doi:10.3390/nu12082489. PMC 7468710. PMID 32824874. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468710
McCall AS, Cummings CF, Bhave G, Vanacore R, Page-McCaw A, Hudson BG (June 2014). "Bromine is an essential trace element for assembly of collagen IV scaffolds in tissue development and architecture". Cell. 157 (6): 1380–1392. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.009. PMC 4144415. PMID 24906154. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144415
Zoroddu MA, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Medici S, Peana M, Nurchi VM (2019). "The essential metals for humans: a brief overview". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 195: 120–129. doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.013. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Remick K, Helmann JD (30 January 2023). "The Elements of Life: A Biocentric Tour of the Periodic Table". Advances in Microbial Physiology. 82. PubMed Central: 1–127. doi:10.1016/bs.ampbs.2022.11.001. ISBN 978-0-443-19334-7. PMC 10727122. PMID 36948652. 978-0-443-19334-7
Pizzorno L (14 August 2015). "Nothing Boring About Boron". IMCJ. PMID 26770156. Retrieved 30 December 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4712861/
Freitas Jr RA (1999). Nanomedicine. Landes Bioscience. Tables 3–1 & 3–2. ISBN 978-1-57059-680-3. Archived from the original on 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 978-1-57059-680-3
Hatton IA, Galbraith ED, Merleau NS, Miettinen TP, Smith BM, Shander JA (2023-09-26). "The human cell count and size distribution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (39): e2303077120. Bibcode:2023PNAS..12003077H. doi:10.1073/pnas.2303077120. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 10523466. PMID 37722043. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10523466
Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R (2016). "Revised estimates for the number of human and bacteria cells in the body". PLOS Biology. 14 (8): e1002533. bioRxiv 10.1101/036103. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533. PMC 4991899. PMID 27541692. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991899
Bianconi E, Piovesan A, Facchin F, Beraudi A, Casadei R, Frabetti F, et al. (2013-11-01). "An estimation of the number of cells in the human body". Annals of Human Biology. 40 (6): 463–471. doi:10.3109/03014460.2013.807878. ISSN 0301-4460. PMID 23829164. https://doi.org/10.3109%2F03014460.2013.807878
Hatton IA, Galbraith ED, Merleau NS, Miettinen TP, Smith BM, Shander JA (2023-09-26). "The human cell count and size distribution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (39): e2303077120. Bibcode:2023PNAS..12003077H. doi:10.1073/pnas.2303077120. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 10523466. PMID 37722043. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10523466
American Academy of Microbiology FAQ: Human Microbiome Archived 31 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine January 2014 http://academy.asm.org/index.php/faq-series/5122-humanmicrobiome
Judah L. Rosner for Microbe Magazine, February 2014. Ten Times More Microbial Cells than Body Cells in Humans? http://www.asmscience.org/content/journal/microbe/10.1128/microbe.9.47.2
Gilbert J, Blaser MJ, Caporaso JG, Jansson J, Lynch SV, Knight R (2018-04-10). "Current understanding of the human microbiome". Nature Medicine. 24 (4): 392–400. doi:10.1038/nm.4517. ISSN 1078-8956. PMC 7043356. PMID 29634682. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7043356
Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R (January 2016). "Are We Really Vastly Outnumbered? Revisiting the Ratio of Bacterial to Host Cells in Humans". Cell. 164 (3): 337–40. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.013. PMID 26824647. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cell.2016.01.013