The Human Microbiota: What Is It? Why does It Matter?

About the Book

Did you know your physical and mental well-being depend on trillions of invisible microorganisms? The Human Microbiota: What Is It? Why does It Matter? is the ultimate guide to understanding and taking care of that extra “organ” we all have but few know about.

In a world awash with disinformation about diet and gut health, this book stands out by offering clear, practical, and scientifically rigorous answers. Written by a team of expert researchers, it explains in a simple way how the bacteria in our bodies regulate defenses, digestion, and even mood. 

It’s not just a popular science book: it’s a tool for better living. In its pages, readers will learn how—from birth and throughout life—diet and daily habits shape this vital ecosystem.

Ideal for anyone interested in improving their quality of life and taking control of their health, this indispensable and accessible title translates state-of-the-art science into everyday well-being. 

Excerpt

Evidently, microorganisms are invisible in that we cannot see them without a microscope. But they are also invisible in the sense that they inhabit us both inside and out. They form what is now called the “diffuse organ” (one more organ!) and, most importantly, they manifest through bodily—and, why not, mental—health.

Humans and microbes have a love-hate relationship: some microorganisms cause infections while others enhance health. Humans provide a habitat—the body—and most microorganisms pay back in various ways: they extract nutrients from undigested food, protect us against infections caused by pathogens, stimulate the immune system, and more.

The first microorganisms we encounter in large numbers when we are born are lactobacilli. These beneficial bacteria await us in mom’s vagina to coat us as we go through the birth canal, and then they travel to our gut where they help prepare the ground for the arrival of many other kinds of microorganisms that will settle there. If we are born by C-section, the colonization process is a bit different…

For a long time, the “gut flora” was a neglected organ—barely studied, understood, cared for. Diet regulates the microbiota. Human milk contributes to the baby’s microbiota in a way no infant formula ever could. The microbiota’s nutritional requirements are satisfied by human milk through what is known as human milk oligosaccharides.

When complementary feeding begins—and for the rest of our lives—the food’s fiber becomes the microbiota’s nourishment, and this can be found in significant and functional proportions in legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole-grains, and also fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir…

Translated by Martín Juan - Edited by Alejandra Rogante