The Bookshelf: April 14, 2015

Trib+Health is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of health care. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

THE GOOD GUT: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health

by Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg

Stanford University scientists deliver an exhaustive, and sometimes exhausting, survey of the human microbiome.

Here to explain … everything related to the role of bacteria in our bodies, are two Stanford University School of Medicine scientists … in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology — Justin as a professor and Erica as a researcher … Scientists will be fascinated by the carefully reproduced studies that highlight surprising findings — stressing a lab animal, for instance, can change its gut microbiota — yet 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.

An informative guide to the gut in search of its best audience.

For full review, visit kirkus.com