Gut check : unleash the power of your microbiome to reverse disease and transform your mental, physical, and emotional health /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this groundbreaking addition to his New York Times bestselling Plant Paradox series, Steven R.Gundry, MD offers a definitive guide to the gut biome and its control over its home--us!--revealing the unimaginably complex and intelligent ecosystem controlling our health and teaching us how to heal our guts to prevent and reverse every type of disease.

We may believe that we are the masters of our fates, but in reality, we are at the mercy of hundreds of trillions of single-celled organisms that exert control over every aspect of how our minds and bodies function. These are the diverse species of microbes living in our guts, mouths, and skin that work together synergistically to communicate with each other and with every system in our bodies. You are your microbiome's home, and it wants to take care of you, but first you have to protect it.

In Gut Check, Dr. Steven Gundry reveals the emerging science proving that Hippocrates was right - all disease begins in the gut. When our microbiomes are out of balance, it affects our immune systems, our hormone levels, our mental health, our longevity, and our risk of developing autoimmunity, heart, and neurodegenerative disease, as well as arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. Yet, not all hope is lost: disease can also be healed in the gut if we choose to treat our microbes right. In Gut Check, Dr. Gundry shows us how.

In his warm, authoritative voice, Dr. Gundry provides us with the keys to unlocking our gut health, allowing our bodies, and its microbiome, to function at their highest potential. Sharing shocking new research as well as a detailed eating plan with food lists and recipes to heal and rebalance the microbiome, Gut Check provides the cutting-edge information and tools we need to repair our health and reclaim our lives.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction: Bacterial Brainwashing (1)
• Chapter 1 Your Body Is a Rain Forest (9)
• Chapter 2 It Takes Two (22)
• Chapter 3 I Have a Crystal Ball-and It's Your Gut Wall (46)
• Chapter 4 A Perfect Storm (61)
• Chapter 5 Hippocrates Was Right (78)
• Chapter 6 Leaky Gut = Leaky Brain (96)
• Chapter 7 Leaky Gut = Leaky Hormones (112)
• Chapter 8 Cigarettes, Meat, and Cheese: The Secrets of Longevity Are Not What You Think (125)
• Chapter 9 To Everything There Is a Season (142)
• Chapter 10 The Gut Check Eating Cycle (151)
• Chapter 11 The Plant Paradox 2.0 (160)
• Chapter 12 The Gut Check Food Plan (172)
• Acknowledgments (243)
• Notes (247)
• Index (305)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Gundry (The Plant Paradox), director of the International Heart and Lung Institute in California, presents an enlightening exploration of how gut bacteria contribute to "our well-being and health." Different kinds of gut bacteria help break down different nutrients, he explains, noting that these "gut bugs" also serve as "bouncers" that prevent pathogens in the intestines from entering the bloodstream. Suggesting that the gut exerts a significant influence over mental health, Gundry observes that patients with major depressive disorder have been found to have an excess of "pro-inflammatory bacteria and depleted anti-inflammatory" bacteria in their intestinal tract. The author provides a detailed overview of how to nourish "your friendliest and most productive gut buddies" through dietary choices, recommending readers eat foods high in polyphenols (compounds that help regulate the gut's bacterial population and "protect against intestinal permeability")--such as plums, spinach, and walnuts--and avoid foods rich in lectin (an inflammatory protein)--such as tomatoes, brown rice, and peanuts. Gundry provides accessible descriptions of the complex biological mechanisms that power the microbiome and his recipes for miso Caesar dressing, kimchi pancakes, lamb burgers, and sauerkraut fritters will help readers put the advice into practice. The result is a solid blend of science and dietary guidance. Agent: Shannon Marven, Dupree Miller & Assoc. (Jan.)

Kirkus Book Review

A physician shows us the remarkable world of the human microbiome. Gundry, the director of the International Heart and Lung Institute in California, has written multiple bestsellers, including The Plant Paradox, Unlocking the Keto Code, and The Longevity Paradox. "All disease begins in the gut," wrote Hippocrates more than 2,000 years ago, and Gundry agrees. With his Gut Check program, "all diseases can be cured in the gut, too." The author claims that "about 90 percent of the people who followed the program saw their health restored." Gundry demonstrates the importance of the trillions of microorganisms in your colon ("gut buddies") that, when healthy, keep your bowel tightly sealed but secrete chemicals that suppress disease and fend off aging. Our gut buddies eat what we eat, and few readers will be surprised to learn that the modern diet is toxic, leading to an unhealthy microbiome, a leaky gut, and disease. Gundry holds a low opinion of many "conventional" conceptions of a healthy diet. The author concludes with an extremely detailed diet that will keep your bowel in top shape. No alternative practitioner, Gundry is a former cardiac surgeon, and he backs his statements with nearly 70 pages of journal references. Many describe diseases cured in laboratory animals, and readers will find few cures for their own disease (and a legal disclaimer at the beginning of the book). Readers will have better luck consulting Gundry or physicians "trained by me" at his clinics or his "subscription-based telemedicine service" and app. Though the idea that all disease results from a faulty microbiome is not universally accepted in the medical community, Gundry's fierce conviction, enthusiasm, and entrepreneurial skill have won him a loyal following that this book is unlikely to diminish. The secret to good health, for readers searching for such a secret. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.