The Microbiome Master Key: Harness Your Microbes to Unlock Whole-Body Health and Lifelong Vitality

Learn the secret to whole-body, lifelong health: the teeming world of microbes inside and all around you.

Hand sanitizer. Social distancing. Antibiotics. Fending off germs has long been considered one of the cornerstones of good health. But what if better health and more graceful aging actually went hand-in-hand with embracing microbes?

Your body is teeming with microbes―not just in the gut, but also on your skin, in your lungs, and beyond. And they impact everything from your sleep, cognition, mood, heart health, and energy to your likelihood of developing many diseases. As groundbreaking new studies are showing, taking care of your microbiome―inside and out―can help you improve your day-to-day health and even help prevent or reverse some of the most common age-related diseases.

This eye-opening book breaks down what the latest research says about how the microbiome affects all aspects of physical and mental health―and what you can do about it.

• Potentially change the trajectory of 9 out of 10 leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes
• Increase your resistance to pathogens like the flu and COVID-19
• Keep your skin soft, healthy, supple, and less wrinkled
• Stabilize your weight and control blood sugar
• Improve your physical fitness and strength
• Fight “inflammaging”―low-grade inflammation that hastens the aging process
• Get a more restful and rejuvenating night’s sleep
• Reduce stress and improve mental health―and your long-term quality of life

The Microbiome Master Key is an updated and expanded new edition of The Whole-Body Microbiome.

B. Brett Finlay, PhD, studies how microbes cause disease in people and how we can fight infections, as well as the role the microbiota plays in human health and disease, including asthma, Parkinson’s, and malnutrition. He is the coauthor of the book Let Them Eat Dirt and the author of over 600 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He is also an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a jazz sax player, skier, and beekeeper in his spare time.

Jessica Finlay, PhD, is a University of Colorado Boulder assistant professor who specializes in environmental gerontology and health geography. With degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Minnesota, she has won awards for her work and authored publications in leading health, geography, and gerontology journals.