The Diet Myth: Why the Secret to Health and Weight Loss is Already in Your Gut

by Tim Spector

Overview

“A concise, entertaining book that demystifies the benefits of balanced microbes through healthier eating” by a physician and professor of epidemiology.(Kirkus Reviews)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781468312843
Publisher:	ABRAMS, Inc.
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	261
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Tim Spector is Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London and a consultant physician at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital. He set up the Twins UK register in 1993, the largest of its kind in the world, which he continues to direct. He has appeared in numerous television documentaries and is often interviewed by the media on his team's research.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Bad Taste 1

1 Not on the Label: Microbes 13

2 Energy and Calories 21

3 Fats: Total 40

4 Fats: Saturated 46

5 Fats: Unsaturated 72

6 Trans Fats 85

7 Protein: Animal 108

8 Protein: Non-animal 130

9 Protein: Milk Products 139

10 Carbohydrates: of which Sugars 150

11 Carbohydrates: Non-sugars 165

12 Fibre 181

13 Artificial Sweeteners and Preservatives 198

14 Contains Cocoa and Caffeine 205

15 Contains Alcohol 215

16 Vitamins 225

17 Warning: May Contain Antibiotics 234

18 Warning: May Contain Nuts 252

19 Best-before Date 261

Conclusion: The Checkout 265

Glossary 278

Acknowledgements 286

Notes 288

Index 315

Editorial Reviews

The book is structured as a takedown of diet myths, but it's much more than a self-help advice book. It's witty, well-written and broad-ranging, littered with fascinating factoids and case studies. Spector thoughtfully explains the strengths and weaknesses of the available evidence, drawing on research on gut microbes as well as his long-running studies on the genetics of twins and his own often hilarious experiments with various diets.

The New York Times Book Review - Sonia Shah

07/20/2015
British research physician Spector (Identically Different) posits a provocative yet sound take on dieting—and how there is no one-size-fits-all plan. After suffering a mild stroke, he set out to research the healthiest diets in order to avoid a relapse. Spector claims that the microbiomes in our bodies are the real culprits behind weight loss or gain, and these can be manipulated through what we eat. He explains how probiotics and different mixes of food can positively or negatively affect the mix in one’s gut, and why certain ethnic groups can tolerate purportedly unhealthy substances, offering as an example the French and their love of cheese and red wine. Diversity of food choices is key, he believes. Spector takes a discerning eye to how calories, fats, trans fats, different types of protein—animal, non-animal, and milk products—carbohydrates, fiber, artificial sweeteners, vitamins, and various kinds of food affect biomes, and why the rise in antibiotics, sugars, and salt in food has raised the incidences of allergies and other negative health factors. He tested many of his theories on groups of identical twins, who theoretically should always react in the same way, but don’t. This fascinating work makes a persuasive claim to potentially both expand readers’ nutritional knowledge and shrink their waistlines. Agent: Sophie Lambert, Conville & Walsh. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Tim Spector carefully explains that we are NOT what we eat, but rather that our trillions of microbial inhabitants have a thing or two to say. Lucidly written, The Diet Myth provides a first-class education about the conjunction of our microbes and our health.”

Dr. Martin Blaser

The Diet Myth is a fascinating and original look at the impact of food on our bodies, underpinned by cutting-edge research.”

Dr. Michael Mosley

[The Diet Myth] is structured as a takedown of diet myths, but it’s much more than a self-help advice book. It’s witty, well-written and broad-ranging, littered with fascinating factoids and case studies. Spector thoughtfully explains the strengths and weaknesses of the available evidence, drawing on research on gut microbes as well as his long-­running studies on the genetics of twins and his own often hilarious experiments with various diets.”

The New York Times

Engaging and wide-ranging, The Diet Myth provides a great summary of the current evidence linking microbes and diet, and shows the intriguing possibilities for monitoring one's own microbes. It points toward exciting future studies and technologies.”

Dr. Rob Knight

2015-06-16
Spector (Genetic Epidemiology/King's Coll. London; Identically Different: Why We Can Change Our Genes, 2013) asserts that essential digestive microbes are major determinants of body composition. Following a jarring health scare that led to a personal "wake-up call," the author began investigating how to improve his own health through a proactively healthful food plan and wound up juggling confusing, conflicted "quackery" with a bounty of counterintuitive diets (Atkins, Paleolithic, South Beach, etc.). Spector's employed groups of 50 individuals along with thousands of adult twins he'd already been studying for two decades, supplemented with his own personal biology, all in an effort to "separate the effects of diet and environment from the effects of our genes." After delineating the details of human microbe colonization, Spector analyzes key dietary macronutrients like fat, protein, carbohydrate, sugar, and fiber components and how they correspond to the accumulation or decimation of human gut bacteria, which primarily thrive on the kind of natural, nutrient-dense, diversified food sources many avoid. Alongside discussions of sugary drinks and unsavory yet prevalent "chubby" cheese mites, Spector bolsters his arguments with anecdotes from exceptional experiments akin to his own short-lived unpasteurized French cheese diet ("to test the best variety of French cheeses to provide a wide variety of microbes"). The author fully supports the idea that a healthy amount of stomach flora naturally wards off harmful microbes, while a diet rich in highly processed food destroys scores of these organisms, leaving the body susceptible to deteriorative disease. While Spector's skepticism about calorie counting and probiotics may raise eyebrows, serious foodies and wellness experts will best appreciate his urgency at addressing what he deems a burgeoning global "nutritional disaster." A concise, entertaining book that demystifies the benefits of balanced microbes through healthier eating.

Kirkus Reviews