The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life

by Rodney Dietert PhD

Overview

"Eyeopening... Fascinating... may presage a paradigm shift in medicine.” 
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Teeming with information and big ideas... Outstanding.”
—Booklist (starred review)

The origin of asthma, autism, Alzheimer's, allergies, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and even some kinds of depression is now clear. Award-winning researcher on the microbiome, professor Rodney Dietert presents a new paradigm in human biology that has emerged in the midst of the ongoing global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases.

     The Human Superorganism makes a sweeping, paradigm-shifting argument. It demolishes two fundamental beliefs that have blinkered all medical thinking until very recently: 1) Humans are better off as pure organisms free of foreign microbes; and 2) the human genome is the key to future medical advances. The microorganisms that we have sought to eliminate have been there for centuries supporting our ancestors. They comprise as much as 90 percent of the cells in and on our bodies—a staggering percentage! More than a thousand species of them live inside us, on our skin, and on our very eyelashes. Yet we have now significantly reduced their power and in doing so have sparked an epidemic of noncommunicable diseases—which now account for 63 percent of all human deaths. 

     Ultimately, this book is not just about microbes; it is about a different way to view humans. The story that Dietert tells of where the new biology comes from, how it works, and the ways in which it affects your life is fascinating, authoritative, and revolutionary. Dietert identifies foods that best serve you, the superorganism; not new fad foods but ancient foods that have made sense for millennia. He explains protective measures against unsafe chemicals and drugs. He offers an empowering self-care guide and the blueprint for a revolution in public health. We are not what we have been taught. Each of us is a superorganism. The best path to a healthy life is through recognizing that profound truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101983904
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Rodney Dietert is Professor of Immunotoxicology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He received his PhD in immunogenetics from the University of Texas at Austin. Among his authored and edited academic books are Strategies for Protecting Your Child's Immune System and Immunotoxicity, Immune Dysfunction, and Chronic Disease. Rodney previously directed Cornell's Graduate Field of Immunology, the Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors, and the Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, and he has served as a Senior Fellow in the Cornell Center for the Environment. Recently, he appeared in the 2014 award-winning documentary Microbirth. In 2015 he received the James G. Wilson Publication Award from the Teratology Society for the best paper of the year on the microbiome.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The New Medical Landscape 1

Part 1 A Shift in How We Think About Biology

1 The End of the Old Biology 21

2 Superorganism Ecology 31

3 The Invisible Human Superorganism 46

4 The Incomplete Generation 66

5 Gene Swaps and Switches 79

Part 2 A Revolution in Medicine

6 Redirecting Precision Medicine 97

7 The Immune System Gone Wrong 103

8 Patterns of Disease 123

9 The Six Causes of the Epidemic 141

10 Precision Medicine Envisaged 170

Part 3 Caring For Yourself

11 You, the Volatile Organic Compound 189

12 Superorganism Makeover 205

13 To Be a Microbiome Whisperer 228

14 Your Brain on Microbes 242

15 Will You Do No Harm? 253

Resources for Probiotics 273

Acknowledgments 277

Notes 279

Index 331

Editorial Reviews

05/02/2016
Dietert, a professor of immunotoxicology at Cornell University, introduces readers to a new perspective on human health, arguing that humans are “superorganisms” composed of thousands of microbial species that live on and in us—ancient microbial partners against which we have been waging a devastating war. He asserts that the 21st-century “epidemic” of non-communicable ailments such as allergies, autism, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and even depression has arisen due to “the loss of a higher order of self-integrity involving our microbiome.” Due to antibiotic “overreach,” diet, urbanization, elective C-section births, and medical treatments that ignore the microbiome, Dietert writes, humans are missing the microbes needed to stay healthy. He concedes that it is possible to modify an individual’s microbiome, but the necessary analyses of skin scrapings and swabs, evaluation of microbial genes, and the appropriate blood chemistry work are unlikely to be offered at anyone’s next routine visit to the doctor. In addition to his survey of the microbiome, Dietert explores microbiotic self-care, which largely involves probiotics; on this front he offers both an impressive personal recommendation and a brief list of resources on probiotics. Dietert makes a fascinating case for an exciting, emerging field that offers a new way of thinking about the human body and health. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Dietert makes the cogent and eye-opening argument that the microbiome—the collection of microbes that lives in our bodies and on our skin—is the arbiter of immune system homeostasis… A book in which the author's fascinating, well-researched ideas regarding holistic health may presage a paradigm shift in medicine.” 
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Teeming with information and big ideas about our tiny co-partner species, this is an outstanding introduction to the universe of little lives that dwell within us.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Dietert makes a fascinating case for an exciting, emerging field that offers a new way of thinking about the human body and health.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Packed with new insights, The Human Superorganism sets out a fascinating perspective on the trillions of microbes that co-habitate with us, and delivers must-have information for how we can harness their power to prevent disease and flourish alongside them. Truly brilliant!"
—Robynne Chutkan, MD, FASGE, Founder of The Digestive Center for Women, author of The Bloat Cure, The Microbiome Solution, and Gutbliss  

“Lucid and beautifully referenced, Rodney Dietert has provided an authoritative new road-map of the human body, complete with its inner workings.”
—Martin J. Blaser, MD, Professor of Microbiology, Director, Human Microbiome Program New York University Langone Medical Center, author of Missing Microbes

“Rodney Dietert, a widely recognized researcher in immunology, developmental biology, and environmental health, writes at this new frontier from the inside, as someone who has made some of the important contributions to this young field.  These are exciting times in science:  when old ideas and assumptions are overturned, including our very concepts of who we are.  As the early findings of microbiome research indicate, all of what we think makes us us is in fact a continuing conversation between our human cells and the billions of microbes on the surfaces of our bodies.  This is a highly readable book, but also the work of a scientist who has not compromised rigor for the sake of popularity.”
—Ellen K Silbergeld, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health

“Tremendously enjoyable... The Human Superorganism really lays out the case for why the new research on the microbiome is a complete game-changer for how we view human health, and it offers this information in a comprehensive, readable and thought-provoking manner.  It informs how I approach my patients in my own practice.”
—Susan S. Blum, MD, MPH, Founder and Director, Blum Center for Health, author of The Immune System Recovery Plan

"In his startling and thought-provoking book, The Human Superorganism, Rodney Dietert shatters the conventional view of the human body by confronting the reality that most of the cells in our body are not our own.  The book explains how an imbalance in the microbiotic ecosystem of our body has caused a sharp increase in allergies and other non-communicable diseases in modern life, and it offers practical advice for fortifying and cohabiting productively with our single-celled partners."
—R. Douglas Fields, author of Why We Snap and The Other Brain

“In The Human Superorganism, Rodney Dietert challenges us to see ourselves anew, as stewards of our own personal ecosystems. Rejecting ‘the new normal’ of diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression, we are empowered to learn how to feed our microbiome and begin healing ourselves from the inside out. The ultimate reward is a healthy internal environment that craves and is satisfied by what is truly good for us. In a world in which babies are born pre-polluted with endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals, it may be our best hope of survival.”
—Carol Kwiatkowski, Executive Director, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, Dept. of Integrative Physiology

"A must read if you are interested in disease, health and medicine.  Dr. Dietert has the unique ability to describe a new paradigm that is an easy read and understood at all levels of training or education." 
—Gary R. Burleson, PhD, President and CEO of Burleson Research Technologies, Inc. 

"Superscientist Dietert wants us to look at humans as superorganisms... How we can radically readjust public health protocols—and our own."
—Library Journal, Prepub Alert

“Noted immunologist, Professor Rodney Dietert, has produced a fascinating and eminently readable book about the 'new biology' that recognizes that we are not just 'us', but we are a chimera that is 90% microbial. He is a master storyteller.”
—Peter J. Davies, International Professor of Plant Biology, Cornell University

"Rodney Dietert provides a clear and accessible introduction to the world of the human microbiome and its influence on human health. His use of anecdotes and examples complete the story, bringing the clinical evidence into the context of every day life." 
—Jack A. Gilbert, Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Group Leader for Microbial Ecology, Argonne National Laboratory

From the Publisher

★ 2016-05-10
Fully 90 percent of human cells are microbial. This astonishing fact means that we are not merely human but a superorganism whose "microbiome" plays a major role in health and disease.Despite decades of advances in medical technology, nearly 65 percent of deaths today are still caused by illness. Known as "non-communicable diseases," this class of ailments includes heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, celiac disease, psoriasis, and many others. The biological factor that these conditions share is a dysregulated immune system, which can lead to chronic inflammation, which leads to illness. Through decades of research, Dietert (Immunotoxicology/Cornell Univ.; co-author: Science Sifting: Tools for Innovation in Science and Technology, 2013, etc.) makes the cogent and eye-opening argument that the microbiome—the collection of microbes that lives in our bodies and on our skin—is the arbiter of immune system homeostasis. This news is good, if unexpected, because it means that treatments, including pre- and probiotics (which naturally "re-seed" the body with good bacteria), have the potential to reset one's microbiome and restore systemic health. In his comprehensive addition to a growing body of literature about microbial health, the author engagingly outlines the biology underlying this symbiotic relationship. He discusses not just how the microbiome affects nearly every aspect of our health, from food allergies to depression, but also how factors including overuse of antibiotics and lack of nutritional diversity have resulted in skyrocketing numbers of chronic illnesses. Presenting empirical data from several lines of research, Dietert converts scientific findings to practical health advice regarding everything from birth practices to geriatric medicine. He argues that "rebiosis" is feasible no matter one's age and that a shift toward a healthy microbiome may usher in a new era of individualized health care resulting in a dramatic reduction of NCDs. A book in which the author's fascinating, well-researched ideas regarding holistic health may presage a paradigm shift in medicine.

Kirkus Reviews