The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection

by Scott C. Anderson, John Cryan, Ted Dinan

Overview

Written by the leading researchers in the field, this information-rich guide to improving your mood explains how gut health drives psychological well-being, and how depression and anxiety can be relieved by adjusting your intestinal bacteria.

This groundbreaking book explains the revolutionary new science of psychobiotics and the discovery that your brain health and state of mind are intimately connected to your microbiome, that four-pound population of microbes living inside your intestines. Leading medical researchers John F. Cryan and Ted Dinan, working with veteran journalist Scott C. Anderson, explain how common mental health problems, particularly depression and anxiety, can be improved by caring for the intestinal microbiome. Science is proving that a healthy gut means a healthy mind—and this book details the steps you can take to change your mood and improve your life by nurturing your microbiome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426219641
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/17/2019
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	387,271
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

SCOTT C. ANDERSON is a veteran science journalist with specialization in medical topics and computer programming. He was one of the creators of Lego Island, a computer game, and his work has combined computer programming with medical research. He runs a laboratory called Freedom Health that studies bacterial health in racehorses and has developed prebiotics for animals and humans. He lives in Hudson, Ohio (between Cleveland and Akron), was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and recently lived in Sonoma, California.

JOHN F. CRYAN is professor and chair of the department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University College Cork. A principal investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, a leading-edge institute researching the role of microbiome in health and disease, he lives in Cork, Ireland.

TED DINAN is professor of psychiatry and a principal investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork. He was previously chair of clinical neurosciences and professor of psychological medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He lives in Cork, Ireland.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Chapter 1 Meet Your Microbes 13

Chapter 2 Mankind, Microbes, and Mood 25

Chapter 3 Your Microbiota, From Birth to Death 61

Chapter 4 A Voyage Down Your Alimentary Canal 85

Chapter 5 The Gut-Brain Axis 115

Chapter 6 Discovering Psychobiotics 139

Chapter 7 Your Personal Psychobiotic Journey 155

Chapter 8 Psychobiotics and Today's Major Diseases 211

Chapter 9 The Future of Psychobiotics 241

Acknowledgments 259

Appendix: Proven Probiotic Bacteria and Products 261

Glossary 272

Notes 279

Further Reading 311

Index 312

Editorial Reviews

"More questions about gut, human health and disease? Try [The Psychobiotic Revolution]"
–Psychology Today

"This is an accessible guide for a lay audience on science that could radically alter the understanding of anxiety and depression, along with a host of other conditions." –Publishers Weekly

“…I recommend reading The Psychobiotic Revolution by Scott C. Anderson.” –Forbes.com

“Although decidedly aimed at the lay reader, the tone throughout is very humorous; I found myself swiftly turning pages, excitedly anticipating the next witty joke. Overall, this is a great book that encourages you to 'take charge of your gut to optimize your mind and your mood'. This is a book that you would reluctantly lend to friends, in the fear that they might not return it.” –Lancet 

"The hope is that it may one day be possible to diagnose some brain diseases and mental health problems by analysing gut bacteria, and to treat them – or at least augment the effects of drug treatments – with specific bacteria. Cryan and his colleague Ted Dinan call these mood-altering germs “psychobiotics”, and have co-written a book with the American science writer Scott C Anderson called The Psychobiotic Revolution." —The Guardian

"The Psychobiotic Revolution could change how you think." —sultanabun.com

"The authors of The Psychobiotic Revolution present clear research that we are indeed what we eat and that our lives would be much more enjoyable if we could balance our gut health in order to balance the rest of us." —Peppermint PhD. blog

“This book is written for a lay person.  It does a very good job of explaining some difficult concepts in a way that will be easily understood by people who don’t have any biology background without dumbing the subject matter down so much that people with more knowledge would cringe as they read it.  That’s a fine line to walk.” –Spirit blog

“Many of my burning questions were answered in a simple and succinct way that makes the battle to improve our health and diet much more feasible.” –Jathan & Heather blog

“Packed with the latest scientific research, [the book] informs and fascinates” –Literary Quicksand blog

“The authors have combined all the most significant information and then gleaned out the important issues that the reader needs to know in an extremely easy to read book, which becomes a real page-turner.  This short book certainly relates to “You are what you Eat!” –Patricia’s Wisdom blog

“This authoritative yet engaging book provides up-to-the minute research and practical advice on the gut-brain axis, perhaps the most exciting area of science today. Written by some of the leaders in the field, it gives terrific insight into what is going on in the gut, how to change it to improve mood, and the largely unappreciated links between mental health and the many other diseases now linked to the gut microbiome.”
—Rob Knight, Director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California at San Diego, author of Follow Your Gut and coauthor of Dirt is Good

“Anderson, Cryan and Dinan have infused life into cutting edge research that is often still mired in the scientific language…. The authors take on a near impossible task, to translate 150 years of research into the infinite complexity of human behavior and make it digestible. Compelling, engaging and informative, this book teaches us why microbes may affect all of our decisions…. This is brain food!

From the Publisher

08/21/2017
Science journalist Anderson and researchers Cryan and Dinan outline the latest in scientific study suggesting that disorders of the body’s microbiota—its community of microorganisms—may be linked to mental-health issues such as anxiety and depression. These microbes, called “psychobiotics,” send messages to the brain via neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. The researchers favor dietary changes and psychobiotic supplements as ways of restoring the body’s microbiota to healthy levels. Regarding diet, they note that American foods, often processed and high in sugar and white flour, can be very unhealthy for microbiota: “Our evolutionary history... didn’t prime us for glazed doughnuts.” In a handy guide format, the authors list a variety of medical conditions, including Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and even autism spectrum disorders, annotating which psychobiotics might be effective in treating each. In addition, they instruct readers in reading and understanding psychobiotic-supplement labels and list the brands that have undergone rigorous testing. This is an accessible guide for a lay audience (though perhaps not for the especially squeamish, who may blanch at this gut-level view of the body) on science that could radically alter the understanding of anxiety and depression, along with a host of other conditions. Agent: Victoria Pryor, Arcadia Literary Agency. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly