The Good Gut

Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health

De: Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg

Narrado por: Marc Cashman

A groundbreaking guide to the surprising source of good health

Genetics and lifestyle are thought to be the two most important determinants of good health. But that is not the whole story. We have a second genome, our gut bacteria, that sets the dial on our bodies. Unlike our DNA, we can influence the gut bacteria, or microbiota, to optimize all aspects of our health.

In The Good Gut, noted Stanford researchers Justin and Erica Sonnenburg, who are doing cutting-edge research on the microbiota, investigate how the trillions of microbes that reside in our gastrointestinal tract help define us, affecting everything from our immune response to our weight, allergic reactions, aging and emotions; how they are under threat from the Western diet, our antibiotics, and our sterilized environment; and how we can nurture our individual microbiota.

This is urgent news. The recent change in our gut microbiota is linked to the alarming increase in obesity and autoimmune diseases. Our intestinal microbiota play an important role in the prevalence of predominantly Western afflictions, such as cancer, diabetes, allergies, asthma, autism, and inflammatory bowel diseases. These gut bacteria are facing a mass extinction, and the health consequences are dire. The average American has 1,200 different types of bacteria residing in his or her gut. That may seem like a lot until you consider that the average Amerindian living in the Amazon has 1,600 species and is much less likely to develop Western maladies.

How can we keep our microbiota off the endangered species list? How can we strengthen the community that inhabits our gut and thereby improve our own health?

Your prescription for gut health is unique to you, and it changes as you age. The Good Gut offers a new plan for health that focuses on how to nourish your microbiota, including recipes and a menu plan. Drs. Sonnenburg look at safe alternatives to antibiotics; dietary and lifestyle choices to encourage microbial health; the management of the aging microbiota; and the nourishment of your own individual microbiome.

The proper understanding and care of our gut may be the most important health choice we can make.

Includes a Bonus PDF with recipes.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Virtually every aspect of health and vitality is influenced by the collection of microbes living within us. The Good Gut empowers the reader with the opportunity to embrace this leading edge science in an actionable, user-friendly way.” —David Perlmutter, MD and author, #1 New York Times Bestseller, Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar: Your Brain's Silent Killers

“We are facing a mass genocide threatening the lives of billions of people across the globe. It is the killing and harming of our own inner garden, our gut bacteria, by our processed diet, antibiotics, acid blockers and other gut busting drugs. The Good Gut for the first time connects the dots between the health of our gut flora or microbiome and our health. A bad gut causes heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease and more, while a good gut can prevent and heal most of what ails us in the 21st century. If you want to learn how to cultivate your own inner garden and create abundant good health, read The Good Gut!” —Mark Hyman, MD, Director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and author, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Blood Sugar Solution

“Microbes in our gut outnumber the cells in our body by more than 3 to 1. We’d better make peace with them. The Sonnenburgs show us how in their fascinating book, The Good Gut. I recommend it to everyone who eats.” —David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, Professor, Harvard Medical School and author, Ending the Food Fight

“Sonnenburg are two rising stars in the field of microbiology and immunology research. Lucky for us, they are willing and able to put scientific jargon aside and offer us a fascinating, funny, and easy-to-read book about the latest human microbiome discoveries and how these discoveries might help us tend to our inner microbes so as to optimize our overall health.” —Daphne Miller, MD author of Farmacology: Total health from the Ground Up and The Jungle Effect

“In The Good Gut, Stanford researchers and authors Justin and Erica Sonnenburg explain some of the mysteries of the invisible world inside us. Thanks to their insight and research, the rest of us can now benefit from understanding how to improve our health by taking care of the microbes living within us.” —Mark Liponis, MD, corporate medical director, Canyon Ranch

“The 100 trillion bacteria that make up our gut microbiota represent the next great frontier in medicine and our understanding of how to obtain and maintain health. The Good Gut is a must read for anyone who struggles with health issues, from obesity to depression, and anyone looking to truly optimize their health and well-being.” —Adam Perlman, MD, executive director, Duke Integrative Medicine at Duke University

Good Gut, good information.

Scientific data coupled with everyday examples made for a valuable source of information. Thank you.

Helpful, useful insight

Would you consider the audio edition of The Good Gut to be better than the print version?

Often I use library books or listen to an audio book before purchasing print and I have already gone and purchased this hardcopy to use as a reference.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Good Gut?

The link between your gut and mood.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I found the scientific data and information very useful and wanted to continue to learn more.

Any additional comments?

I chose this book looking for answers to many media topics regarding health and your "gut". This book balanced scientific data and insightful, helpful information in correlation with your health. I enjoyed the book and knowledge I gained from it.

Great book!

This is a great and approachable book about emerging science on the microbiome and it’s critical role in every aspect of our health. Everyone should read it.

Exactly what I needed to hear

What I was hoping for, based in science, clearly explained, and with real world ideas on how to make use of the information.

Very good info for living

I have heard and read about the importance of the bacteria in our gut and this pulls it all together very nicely. My Grandmother always said we needed to eat a bushel of dirt before we were 5. Not actually eat it, but be outside and play in it We are too obsessed with being clean and it isn't good for us. The book has a nice balance of scientific information and practical advice.

Highly recommended!

This was a very FULL of information book! A great balance of scientific knowledge with the average readers understanding! I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about improving their gut health! I’ve printed the accompanying PDF to better incorporate more fiber and MACs into my family’s diet.

Must Gut Read

This books an amazing inside look at our overall health and advice on how to help our children thrive.

Great information

It’s a little redundant but informative. If you really want to understand what’s really going on inside you, this is a great place to start.

great news from actual scientists

Loved it but then I am a clinical laboratory scientist so all the poop talk doesn't bother me. Good to hear from scientists that live what they learn.

Kindle your microbiota and they will reciprocate!

I approached this book with a skeptical mindset. Much of what I had heard about the microbiota and the importance of eating things that are beneficial to your gut had come either from advertisements or from crackpots who thinks that their personal anecdotes trump all published science. Despite my initial antagonism to their arguments, the authors managed to break down my defenses to deliver a rather strong message, namely that our microbiota is vital to us and that what we eat will affect it. In other words, we live in a powerful symbiosis with our gut bacteria. I can recommend this book if you are searching for an introduction to this field.

We have about 100 trillion microbes in our gut. In comparison, we have about 37 trillion cells with ‘our’ DNA in them. This fact alone implies that the microbiota plays an important function. More and more research points to the microbiota as a key player in our immune system. When a pathogen gets into our gut, it will have to compete with the bacteria already present in the gut. So depending the quantity and quality of your microbiota, pathogens will have more or less trouble getting established, and in extension, making you sick.

From this knowledge follows many implications. Fecal transplants for instance, in which the microbiota (stool) is taken from one person and given to another, can affect the recipient's immune system as well as their digestion. Indeed, as you will learn if you read this book, there are even studies suggesting that stool transplants can not only health status but also moods (perhaps because health and moods are linked?).

This is a good book. The writing is accessible. The authors are scientists and, unlike many other people who argue for the importance of the microbiota; they base most of their arguments on scientific studies. However, even though I can understand the impulse, I was sometimes taken aback by the author's willingness to use personal anecdotes. The authors (who are by the way married), have a son who had problems with his microbiota and throughout the book, the authors discuss how they implemented what science taught them, in their home. Anecdotes are of course very powerful and the anecdotes in this book help drive home its message. However, sometimes, I got the feeling that they used anecdotes to argue beyond what we know from science. In doing so they are approaching the dark side, the one filled with crackpots and people who believe that eating beans make you immune to any disease. I hope that they can stay on the right side in the future, though I fear for them. To not end on a negative note, which would be unfair, this was indeed a good book. Highly recommended for everyone!