A single cup of yogurt contains more living organisms than there are people on Earth.

Yogurt is produced through the bacterial fermentation of milk, a process that relies on specific starter cultures. According to standards set by the National Yogurt Association (NYA), 'Live and Active Culture' yogurt must contain at least 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. Since a standard 170-gram (6-ounce) cup of yogurt weighs significantly more than a single gram, the total count often reaches 17 billion to 30 billion colony-forming units (CFUs).The primary bacteria used in this process are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These microorganisms convert lactose into lactic acid, which gives yogurt its thick texture and tart flavor. In comparison, the United States Census Bureau and the United Nations estimated the global human population reached the 8 billion mark in November 2022. This means a single snack contains nearly four times as many living beings as there are humans on the entire planet.Research published in journals like 'Frontiers in Microbiology' highlights that these probiotics survive the journey through the stomach to colonize the gut. Once in the intestines, they compete with harmful pathogens and stimulate the production of antibodies. The sheer density of these microscopic life forms makes fermented dairy one of the most concentrated sources of life in the human diet.