The Microbiome: What Everyone Needs to Know

About this book

A lively guide to the fast-moving and fascinating debates on what is going on with the trillions of microorganisms that live on and around us, and what we need to know to keep ourselves healthy.

There are microbiomes – communities of microbes – everywhere we can imagine: in every environment, on every surface, and in every creature, including us. They are an inevitable, if largely invisible, part of life, and understanding how our microbiome works can improve our health.

In The Microbiome: What Everyone Needs to Know, Dr Berenice Langdon provides a foundational understanding of the microbiome and what it does – and does not – do. Tracing the history of microbiome research, up to the most recent scientific advancements, she dispels common misunderstandings to better acquaint readers with the form and function of the human body's microbial community. In an accessible style, Dr Langdon covers the microbiomes of the human body – from the skin to the gut-brain axis, the growing microbiome industry, the creation of the microbiome on newborns, the effects of microbiome changes, and even the possibilities for microbiome evolution into the future.

In a fast-moving and oft-overhyped area of research, The Microbiome is a timely and significant contribution to the What Everyone Needs to Know series.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. What Is the Microbiome and Why Should I Care about It?
Chapter 2. Where are Microbiomes Found and How Do We Know?
Chapter 3. The Microbiome and the Skin
Chapter 4. How do New-born Babies get their Microbiome?
Chapter 5. The Microbiome and the Gut
Chapter 6. The Microbiome and the Brain
Chapter 7. The Microbiome and the Genitals
Chapter 8. Probiotics and the Microbiome Industry
Chapter 9. Loss of Microbiome Diversity

Conclusion
Notes
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dr. Berenice Langdon is a Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant at City, St George's, University of London. She is also a general practitioner in South West London. She became a clinical teaching consultant at St George's Medical School in 2020, advising on infection curriculum development, and a Clinical Senior Lecturer in 2023. Dr. Langdon trained in Medicine at the Royal London Hospital Medical School and obtained her BSc Genetics at Edinburgh University. She has authored Learning Microbiology through Clinical Consultation, a textbook for medical students, and over twenty science and medical articles for The Independent.