Building a Better Biome: Understanding the Microbiome’s Connection to Health and Gut Happiness

An essential resource to understanding gut health, the microbiome, and their connection to maintain digestive balance through diet—featuring meal planning guides and sample menus—by two leading experts in the field.

Over the last fifteen years, research into the vast inner workings of the “microbiome” (the trillions of bacteria harbored in the gut) has led to groundbreaking advances in human health and well-being. Now, two of the leading experts in the field, Dr. Mark Pimentel and Dr. Ali Rezaie at Cedars-Sinai, have teamed up to create The Microbiome Connection, a must-have guide that arms readers with all of the knowledge and resources necessary to understand their microbiome, any symptoms they may be experiencing, and how to navigate symptom relief.

An estimated 70 million people in the United States are affected by SIBO, IBS, or one of the more than a dozen other diseases linked to digestive health, and 74% of Americans say they live with symptoms of digestive discomfort. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)—the most common gastrointestinal condition in the United States—affects millions of people of all ages. Not only do those who suffer from IBS and its similar, sister diagnosis—small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)—experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits, they may also avoid participating in activities, social events, or travel for fear of having to constantly disappear to the bathroom or the embarrassment of explaining their discomfort.

In The Microbiome Connection, doctors Pimentel and Rezaie provide explanations of what happens to IBS/SIBO patients from the first diagnosis to the end of treatment; reveal what changes can occur in the body in terms of the underlying physical processes to symptoms that may develop; and share evidence-based management and treatment of those symptoms through dietary changes and drug treatment. Also included are meal plans and sample menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all of which are accompanied by explanations of which foods to eat in moderation and which foods to avoid because they will feed bacteria in the gut and could cause additional symptoms.

A must-have resource for anyone who suffers from IBS or SIBO, or who wants to better understand their microbiome, this book will provide readers with the knowledge and resources to live a gut-happy and gut-healthy life.

Dr. Mark Pimentel, MD, FRCP(C) is professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Geffen School of Medicine UCLA and associate professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles. He is also the head of the Pimentel Laboratory and the executive director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

Dr. Ali Rezaie, MD, MSc, FRCP(C) is the medical director of the GI Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles. He is an associate professor at Cedars-Sinai and an associate clinical professor at UCLA. He also serves as the director of bioinformatics and biotechnology for the MAST Program at Cedars-Sinai.