The Gut-Immune Connection: How Understanding the Connection Between Food and Immunity Can Help Us Regain Our Health

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From one of todays leading experts on the emerging science of the microbiome comes a ground-breaking book that offers, for the first time, evidence that the gut-microbiome plays a pivotal role in the health crises of the twenty-first century.

In his acclaimed book, The Mind-Gut Connection, physician, UCLA professor, and researcher Dr. Emeran Mayer offered groundbreaking evidence of the critical role of the microbiome in neurological and cognitive health, proving once and for all the power and legitimacy of the mind-body connection. Now, in The Gut-Immune Connection, Dr. Mayer proposes an even more radical paradigm shift: that the gut microbiome is at the center of virtually every disease that defines our 21st-century public health crisis.

Cutting-edge research continues to advance our understanding of the function and impact of the billions of organisms that live in the GI tract, and in Dr. Mayers own research, he has amassed evidence that the conversation that takes place between these microbes and our various organs and bodily systems is critical to human health. When that conversation goes awry, we suffer, often becoming seriously ill.

Combining clinical experience with up-to-the-minute science, The Gut-Immune Connection offers a comprehensive look at the link between alterations to the gut microbiome and the development chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, as well as susceptibility to infectious diseases like Covid-19. Dr. Mayer argues that its essential we understand the profound and far-reaching effects of gut health and offers clear-cut strategies to reverse the steady upward rise of these illnesses, including a model for nutrition to support the microbiome.

But time is running out: a plague of antimicrobial resistance is only a few decades away if we dont make critical changes to our food supply, including returning to sustainable practices that maintain the microbial diversity of the soil. To turn the tide of chronic and infectious disease tomorrow, we must shift the way we live today.

Reviews

"Finally, a book that treats gut health, human health, and ecological health as one subject. A revelatory read from a doctor, writer and thinker we all need to hear from, now more than ever." --Dan Barber, NYT Bestselling author of The Third Plate and chef of the 2 Michelin star restaurant Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
"Dr. Mayer takes a fascinating deep dive into the microbial world that links the health of our bodies with the health of our environment, revealing the deep interconnections between the planet's life support systems and our own." --Liz Carlisle, PhD., author of Lentil Underground
"Dr. Mayer will not only open your eyes to the critical importance of the variety of microbes that inhabit our gut, but also to the broader picture of how food choices that support biodiversity can save lives, shield us from novel infections, and protect the planet. It is fascinating how choices to improve our personal health are connected to the preservation and creation of fertile soils, clean waterways and ultimately our mothership, Earth and our progeny.--Joel Fuhrman, M.D., seven-time New York Times bestselling author
"In Medicine, the 'Holy Trinity' means something different: the brain, the gut, and the immune system. Each contributes to health through its effects on the others. We're lucky, because Emeran Mayer is an expert in each. And he knows the only way to fix all three at once is to fix the food."--Robert Lustig, MD., author of Fat Chance and The Hacking of the American Mind
"Our entire world - the soil, the plants, even us humans - are bound together by networks of invisible microbes. In The Gut-Immune Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer is a microbiome magician pulling back the veil on our interconnected world and then showing us how to harness nature's healing energy. This is a life changing book by one of the great scientists of our generation. " --Will Bulsiewicz, New York Times bestselling author of Fiber Fueled
"We live in an environment dominated by ultra-processed, fast food, which is fueling disease and hurting the planet. In The Gut-Immune Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, draws important connections between the gut microbiome and our immune system, describing how individuals can take action to harness this powerful force to promote well-being. It is a must read for those searching for a path to better human and planetary health."--Erica Sonnenburg, PhD, co-author of The Good Gut
Now more than ever we need to understand the critical connection between what we put in our body, and our resistance to disease. Focusing on the three foundational pillars of the gut endocrine system, immune system, and nervous system, Dr. Mayer breaks down the science and lays out a clear and attainable path to reclaim immunity, vitality, and health.--Robynne Chutkan, MD, FASG, author of Gutbliss, The Microbiome Solution & The Bloat Cure

Author Bio

Emeran Mayer, MD, has studied brain-body interactions for the last forty years. He is the executive director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience and the codirector of the Digestive Diseases Research Center at the University of California at Los Angeles. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health for the past twenty-five years, and he is considered a pioneer and world leader in the area of brain-gut microbiome interactions.