The good gut Taking control of your weight, your mood, and your long-term health

The large intestine contains the biggest microbial community in the body as hundreds of species of bacteria, or microbiota, reside in the human digestive tract. While microbes are known to aid in digestion and stimulate the immune system, only recently have scientists began to study the complex, symbiotic relationship between the human gut and its microbes. In The Good Gut, -Justin and Erica Sonnenburg, professor and researcher of microbiology and immunology at -Stanford University respectively, explain the role that microbes play in the GI tract and how they relate to overall health, including possible links to obesity, autoimmune diseases, cancer, allergies, and more. While antibiotics and a low-fiber diet contribute to decreased microbiota, the good news is that gut flora diversity can be improved by consuming a microbiota-friendly diet that includes probiotics, fermented products, and high-fiber foods, especially those containing inulin, a natural storage carbohydrate. While aimed at the layperson, this title is acronym heavy: be prepared to understand SCFAs, MACs, FMTs, CDAD, EPS, and ASD. Gut, written by Enders, a medical student, takes a lighthearted approach to the "body's most underrated organ." Originally published in German and a best seller on Germany's paperback charts, the title covers the entire digestive tract-from the mouth and tonsils to the esophagus to the small and large intestine, humorously lauding the elegance of the bowels. Along the way, the author covers myriad topics: the proper way to sit on a toilet, vomiting, constipation, feces facts, and the influence the gut has on the brain. The third portion of the book covers microbes, both good and bad. -VERDICT With the increased attention paid to microbiota and the gut, readers will find each of these books noteworthy. Those interested in changing their microbiota will want to read The Good Gut; those who like a conversational approach to learning about the digestive system will prefer Gut.-Pauline Theriault, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Stanford University scientists deliver an exhaustive, and sometimes exhausting, survey of the human microbiome. Buzzwords like probiotic and prebiotic make health news headlines, but how many of\ us really know what those terms mean? Here to explain those concepts, and everything else related to the role of bacteria in our bodies, are two Stanford University School of Medicine scientists with indisputable credentials. Both work in Stanford's Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyJustin as a professor and Erica as a researcherand while their expertise is impressive and their writing clear, they share so much information that readers may get bogged down in the details and lose track of how it all relates to them personally. Readers looking for the practical applications promised in the book's subtitle, for instance, may be frustrated by a wealth of what can seem like esoteric experiments and a dearth of details on more conventional matters like precisely how to produce the fermented foods the authors recommend adding to the diet. (Recipes for microbe-friendly muesli, smoothies, scrambles, and similar foods appear only in an appendix.) Meanwhile, scientists will be fascinated by the carefully reproduced studies that highlight surprising findingsstressing a lab animal, for instance, can change its gut microbiotayet may have misgivings about the Sonnenburgs' untested views on things like hand-washing routines and infant feeding. Sometimes proof and opinion seem at odds, as when the authors consider the gut bacterias' possible impact on autism spectrum disorders; though the experiments cited are inconclusive, the Sonnenburgs express unexpected optimism that a connection will one day be found. The authors' enthusiasm for their subject is evident throughout and may be enough to maintain interest in both lay and academic readers. Andrew Weil provides the foreword. An informative guide to the gut in search of its best audience. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

We all know that much of our health is predeter­mined by our genes. We also know that we can gener­ally improve our health if we eat right, exercise, and manage our stress. But how to do those things is a matter of great debate. Many well-meaning health programs are focused solely on weight loss or heart health, but what if there was a second genome, one that held the key to much of our overall health, but one that we could influence by very specific (and often surprising) lifestyle choices? Well, this second genome exists. It belongs to the bacteria that inhabit our gut and is vital to our overall well-being, in countless ways. The details of how these intestinal bac­teria, known as the microbiota, are hard-wired into health and disease are starting to come to light and they are reshaping what it means to be human. As scientists try to unravel the causes behind the prevalence of predominantly Western afflictions such as cancer, diabetes, allergies, asthma, autism, and inflamma­tory bowel diseases, it is becoming increasingly clear that the microbiota plays an important role in the development of each of these conditions and poten­tially many others. Our bacterial inhabitants touch all aspects of our biology in some way, directly or indirectly. But the modern world has changed the way we eat and how we live, and as a result, our in­testinal microbiota is facing challenges that it has not experienced in the entirety of human evolution. Our digestive system is much more than a col­lection of human cells that surround our last few meals--it also contains a dense colony of bacteria and other microorganisms. In fact, for every one human cell in our body, we house an additional ten bacte­rial cells that amount to a filibuster­proof majority that legislates much of our biology. But before you start thinking of yourself as a human being with bacterial cells inside, it may be more accurate to consider yourself as a bacterial being with a human cell coating. More than we ever expected, the gut microbiota sets the dial on our immune system. If the gut bacteria are healthy, it's likely that the immune system is running well. Much is being learned about how the microbiota impacts our brains. The brain-gut axis impacts our well-being profoundly, far more than just letting us know when it's time to eat. Gut bacteria can affect moods and behavior and may influence the progres­sion of some neurological conditions. Excerpted from The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health by Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.