Quote:This book unravels in an easily understandable way the exciting molecular connections between our gut microbiome, i.e. the collective microorganisms that we carry in our digestive system, nutrition and the immune system, and how an imbalance can lead to the development of inflammatory diseases. The totality of these gut microorganisms forms a complex ecosystem within us, consisting of hundreds of different species of bacteria.
The author, microbiologist Professor Richard Lucius, introduces the historical context of microbiome research, discusses how our lives have changed in recent decades, and explains the composition and function of the microbiome and its connection to the gut and immune system. The book explains in detail and supported with appealing illustrations how allergies, chronic intestinal inflammation, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and coeliac disease develop. Further chapters deal with the effects of nutrition on our intestinal flora and provide tips on building and maintaining a healthy microbiome. An intact bacterial community utilizes food residues that humans cannot digest and in return provides energy and vital substances. Only together with our inhabitants do we form a well-functioning "superorganism".