The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health

by Emeran Mayer

Chances are, at some point in your life you’ve noticed the connection between your brain and your gut. If you’ve ever felt queasy as you walked into an uncomfortable situation or based a life decision based on a “gut feeling,” then you know that sometimes our bodies react faster than our minds. Most of us have also experienced the same phenomenon in reverse, where our mental state has affected our digestive system—like the butterflies in our stomach before an important meeting or a first date. But while the dialogue between the mind and the gut has been recognized for centuries, scientists today are just starting to understand how powerful that connection is.

In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, executive director of the UCLA Oppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress, offers a cutting-edge view into this developing science, showing us the full impact of how the brain, gut, and microbiome—the community of microorganisms that live inside the digestive tract—communicate. As Dr. Mayer explains, when this communication channel is out of whack, major health problems can crop up, including food sensitivities and allergies, digestive disorders, obesity, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

The Mind-Gut Connection teaches us how, with a few simple changes to our diet and lifestyle, we can enjoy a happier mindset, enhanced immunity, a decreased risk of developing neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and even lose weight. With a simple, practical regimen drawn from the latest research, Dr. Mayer shows us that paying attention to the mind-gut balance is the key to unlocking vibrant health.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Science, Psychology, Self Help, Nutrition, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

Emeran Mayer was born in a small town in Bavaria where his family ran a Confectionary business since 1873. After an agonizing decision against taking over the family business, he finished Medical School at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University in Munich, completed his residency training at the Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada before moving to Los Angeles.

There he worked under the late John H. Walsh to study the role of gut brain interactions and with James Meyer on the role of stomach emptying at the prestigious Center for Ulcer Research and Education and completed his specialty training in Gastroenterology at UCLA.

Mayer has had a passion for adventures, moutaineering and documentary film making throughout his life starting in high school. During his college years, he participated in several professional film expeditions, including stays with the Yanomamis in Venezuela, and the Asmat and Dani people in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. He climbed some of the highest mountains in the US (Denali), South America (Aconcagua in Argentina, Cimborazzo in Ecuador, Pico de Orizaba in Mexico), and Mont Blanc in Europe. In 2015, he was an associated producer in a documentary film about a new ecological view of health and disease, In Search of Balance.

Throughout his career – both in his research and clinical practice, Mayer has pursued a Buddhist philosophy of interconnectedness, balance and compassion. He has explored ancient healing practices of primal people around the world, of Native Americans and those in the Traditional Chinese and Aryuvedic tradition and has always strived to integrate the wisdom of these traditions with the discoveries of modern science.

Reviews

[Beth Lequeuvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some interesting facts in here. Like did you know that your gut has its own nervous system made up of 50-100 million nerve cells, as many as are contained in your spinal cord? Or that 95% of the body's serotonin is stored in the gut?

Overall, I felt like the book was written at an easily digestible (see what I did there) level equivalent of a YA reader. There were anecdotal stories from the author's practice, references to studies involving rats, and a bunch of non-proven theories. Even though there were no footnotes for the research studies mentioned, the back of the book does cite sources referenced vaguely earlier.

The author advises pretty much the same stuff you hear from every other source out there talking about eating for health: eat real, nonprocessed foods, eat smaller portions, eat probiotics and fermented foods, eat more plants and lean meats, and pay attention to and address your emotional and spiritual health too. Everything is connected.

I don't know if I just already knew a lot on the topic or if this book was pointed toward people who didn't know that only eating meat and cheese and starches can affect more than just your waistline. It held my attention all the way through but I guess I had hoped for a more in depth, more scientific read.

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, this is an interesting period for medicine & food science. A lot of what we thought we knew about health has changed in the recent years, and yet quite a bit of traditional wisdom and living is finding affirmation in studies. Gut health is an interesting subject I had not read much about, and I found this book very interesting.

This book includes a good mix of research, diet advice and integrated science linking the gut, brain & overall health. There is interesting information on what we now know about the gut, which teems with microbes, and has its own enteric nervous system (ENS) which can loosely be referred to as the ‘second brain’. This allows the gut to make decisions around processing the food we eat. At the same time, the gut brain link via the vagus nerve and the bloodstream exchanges various signals (90% percent originating in the gut). The gut microbiome is constituted right since childhood and possibly has major implications on moods & behaviours. A lot of the content is speculative since this is an area where there is still a lot of active research, but is nevertheless fascinating.

As far as health advice goes, it is very similar to what I read in some other books recently: plant-based diet, nuts & seeds, include local organic foods & avoid processed foods. A lot of the modern diet with animal fat & processed food is also linked to heart & brain disease. There is very strong evidence that stress plays a major role in gut health and mindfulness meditation, relaxation, family support can all help significantly.

There is some content which tends to repeat and the book could have been crisper. Also, the speculative content is on the higher side – not surprising considering it is an evolving field though. For detailed diet information, I suggest also reading - How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger and Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi, especially the former.

[Valerie Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate this book as a psychologist and as someone who has multiple digestive issues. This reading helped me to uncover potential reasons why my immune system sucks and what I can do to practically help myself. After trying some of the suggestions in this book I must say that I do feel a whole lot better, healthier and more functional. A great read for anyone who is interested in the mind or can't find relief with their digestive issues.

[Lizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been condensed to about a third of its size. Repetitive. Also, I felt the whole thing was a big "maybe" as it is clear more research needs to be done to confidently state claims made by this book. While the author does note this by using qualifying words like "may", "might", "perhaps", I walked away from this feeling as if I was told, "ehhhhh...we really aren't sure yet about all of this."

[Camelia Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've learned a few things from the book, such as how your gut microbes may influence your brain and vice versa, the role of vagus nerve, and how a "bad" gut microbiome may cause issues such as IBS, difficulty in weight control, etc... Yes, the food additives, and many practices in the modern industrial agriculture are harmful, but the author does not answer that how to feed the world's ever growing population without such practices.

I find it irritating that the author dwells on the importance of pre-natal and early life experience on one's health as if everything is just a simple life-style choice that has nothing to do with the social and economic adversity. He raves about the Yanomami teenage mom who gave birth in silence on the jungle floor, but without a balanced analysis or provides any social context.

On dietary choice, I recommend Michael Pollan, such as In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. On microbes and human microbiome, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life is superb.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

To get a firsthand impression of these gut sensations, try this experiment: take a day when you're not too distracted, and focus your attention from morning to night on all the sensations that your gut generates throughout the day. You may also want to add information about what you were doing at the time, how you were feeling, and what you were eating.

Early life programming affects us all. Our mothers, our families did the best they could to steer us through a complex world. All this leaves us with a lasting trace on our basic emotional makeup, and influences how we cope, how we make decisions, and possibly our personality. By understanding how this natural programming operates, and by learning how to patch any maladapted software, we can avoid overreactions that no longer serve us, if they ever did.

Life is a waste without humor-living is all about happiness and laughter. - Fauja Singh, the so-called Turbaned Tornado (running at age 89 & London marathon at 101.

How and What to Feed Your Gut Microbes
-Practice natural and organic farming of your gut microbiome.
-Aim to maximize gut microbial diversity by maximizing regular intake of naturally fermented foods and probiotics.
-Reduce the inflammatory potential of your gut microbiota by making better nutritional choices.
1)Cut down on animal fat in your diet.
2)Avoid, whenever possible, mass-produced, processed food and select organically grown food.
-Eat smaller servings at meals.
-Be mindful of prenatal nutrition.
-Reduce stress and practice mindfulness.
-Avoid eating when you are stressed, angry, or sad.
-Enjoy the secret pleasures and social aspects of food.
-Become an expert in listening to your gut feelings.
-Keep your brain (and your gut microbiota) fit.

Kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso.
Kefir, yogurts, cheeses.
Fermented dairy products and fermented vegetables.

[smschumacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are better books on the microbiome. If/when I read one I’ll update this review. UPDATE: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong is fantastic - start there.

This book felt meandering, with a lot of postulating about implications of small studies. What little actionable information you get in the last chapter is exactly what you’d expect. There’s no clear goal beyond general education and interesting theories.

Overall I don’t feel like I got any value out of this, with the exception of his computer vs machine gut explanation in the intro, and realizing how short the window of influence during pregnancy/first 3 years of life is in developing a healthy gut flora.

[Veronika Sebechlebská · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knihu hodnotím vysoko, predovšetkým preto, že mi ako človeku, ktorý má naordinovanú bezlepkovú, bezlaktózovú, nízkosacharidovú, nizkohistamínovú a ešteurčitenejakúďalšiu diétu, takže môže jesť len steaky z jednorožca, koreň mandragory a svätenú vodou (aj to len prevarenú), konečne pomohla pochopiť, že za všetky moje problémy môže niekto iný.

Pozitíva knihy:
-holistický prístup k ľudskému telu a inovatívny pohľad na gastrointestinálny trakt ako na dosiaľ neobjavený zmyslový orgán, ktorý má zhruba päťdesiat až sto miliónov neurónov (teda asi toľko, čo miecha) a jeho výstelka obsahuje také množstvo endokrinných buniek, že keby sme ich zlúčili do jedného orgánu, svojou veľkosťou by prekonal všetky ostatné žľazu s vnútorným vylučovaním dohromady, takže je prostredníctvom nervových impulzov a hormónov v neustálom biochemickom spojení s mozgom
-snaha o pochopenie našej symbiózy s mikróbmi, ktorých v ľudskom tele žije zhruba toľko, koľko je buniek nášho tela (Takže keď sa nad tým zamyslíte, len 50 percent buniek v našom tele sme my) a ak by sme genóm človeka spolu s genómom mikróbov brali ako jeden celok, ľudské gény by v ňom boli zastúpené menej než jedným percentom (Tu už fakt nepomôže ani pitie Sava)

Negatíva
-Typický americký repetitívny spôsob vysvetľovania
-Fachidiotizmus
-Záverečné rady na úrovni článku v Novom čase počas uhorkovej sezóny. t.j
nikdy nejesť v strese
jesť kvalitné a čerstvé suroviny
jesť veľa kyslej kapusty (Stará mama a výrobca Espumisanu approves)
v prípade, že človek už má neurotickú tráviacu sústavu, je potrebné podstúpiť kognitívno-behaviorálnu terapiu, čo síce netuším čo je, ale som presvedčená, že si za to už určite niekto kúpil malý ostrov v Karibiku

[Chelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been really great, and I was very excited about it, as it is written by a doctor with extensive experience in studying bacteria and the body. Unfortunately, he veers into the territory of the unknown too often, ending most sections and chapters with statements such as "well we don't know this yet and haven't confirmed it yet, but there's good reason to believe this should work." In a book written by a medical physician with research experience, I am looking for firm science and evidence-based recommendations.

[فادي · Rating 2 out of 5]

طوال قراءاتي للكتاب وحديث النبي ‏⁧ ﷺ يدور في عقلي:

ما ملأ آدميٌّ وعاءً شرٌّ من بطنِهِ بحَسْبِ ابنِ آدمَ أُكْلاتٍ يُقِمنَ صُلبَه فإنْ كان لا مَحالَةَ فثلثٌ لطعامهِ وثلثٌ لشُربهِ وثلثٌ لنفَسهِ.

[Nujud Alaql · Rating 5 out of 5]

1- جميعنا نعلم أن الجانب النفسي يلعب دورا مهما في الأمراض المزمنة .
2- ما دام بوسعك إصلاح الجزء المتعطل من الآلة ستكون قد حلت ولا حاجة إلى فهم أسبابها الأصلية .
3- العلاقة بين العقل والجسم ليست خرافة بل هي حقيقة بيولوجية وشيء أساسي لفهم صحة الجسم بالكامل .
4- تعتمد الميكروبات الموجودة في أمعائك على العديد من العوامل ( جيناتك ، بكتريا خاصة بامك ، ميكروبات التي يحملها أفراد أسرتك ، نظامك الغذائي ونشاط مخك وحالتك الذهنية .
5- نحن البشر كائنات حية خارقة حقا .
6- أخبرني بما تأكله وسأخبرك من أنت .
7- إن التعرف على العواطف على وجوه الآخرين أمر طبيعي بالنسبة لنا .
8- مخ الانسان لديه سبعة برامج تشغيل عاطفية على الأقل ( الخوف ، الغضب ، الحزن ، اللعب ، الرغبة ، الحميمة ، الحب والأمومة ) .
9- أن الطعام المتعفن في الأمعاء يكون السموم .
10- الميكروبيوتا البشرية مكون أساسي في طبيعتك الإنسانية بالإضافة إلى دورها الذي لا غنى عنه في مساعدتنا على هضم أجزاء كبيرة من نظامنا الغذائي .
11- من المنطقي أن يكون للنمو في بيئة أسرية متناغمة محمية تأثير إيجابي على تطور الشخص .
12- توجد أدلة قوية على أن التجارب المليئة بالتوتر في الحياة المبكرة بما ذلك التعامل المهين بين مقدم الرعاية الأساسي وطفله يمكن أن تترك آثارا دائمة في مخ هذا الطفل .
13- منذ أيامنا الأولى لونت العواطف أفكارنا وأثرت في قراراتنا ، عندما يلوح الخطر تساعدك العواطف على الكر أو الفر .
14- يكتسب العديد من المرضى تغيرا عابرا في عادات الأمعاء عند تناول المضادات الحيوية .
15- إن الإصابة بعدوى الأمعاء عندما تكون تحت توتر شديد يمكن أن يوقعك في مشكلة خطيرة .
16- بوسع ميكروباتنا المعوية أن تؤثر على عواطفنا ، والعواطف ومشاعر الأمعاء تقود قرارتنا حول كيفية التصرف فمن المنطقي أن تستطيع الميكروبات المعوية تغيير سلوكنا .
17- العواطف تنشأ من تقيمنا المعرفي للأحاسيس الجسدية أي معلومات الإدراك الحسي من أعضائنا أثناء مشاركتها في نشاط مكثف مثل سرعة ضربات القلب أو قرقرة المعدة أو التقلص التشنجي للقولون أو التنفس السريع .
18- كل عاطفة لها مكونان مرتبطان بشكل وثيق مكون حسي ( مشاعر الأمعاء ) ومكون إجرائي ( استجابات الأمعاء ) .
19- تستند العديد من القرارات التي نتخذها في الحياة إلى المنطق وهو نتاج تفكير مدروس ودقيق .
20- عملية اتخاذ القرار القائمة على الحدس هي العامل السري الذي يملي علينا العديد من الخيارات والأحكام التي نتخذها .
21- الحدس هو قدرتك علي رؤية سريعة وفورية .
22- المشاعر هي إشارات حسية تدخل فيما يسمى نظام التميز في المخ ، والتميز هو المستوى الذي يمكن لشيء مافي البيئة أن يجذب انتباه المرء ويحتفظ به ؛ لأنه مهم أو ملحوظ زي شيء بارز .
23- كلما كنت قلقا ، كانت حدود التميز أقل .
24- عندما نكون غاضبين بشدة أو نشعر بخيبة أمل شخصية ، وقد ترتبط هذه العلامات أيضا بمتعة وجبة لذيذة أو المشاعر الشديدة للحب الرومانسي أو الشعور بالتمكين .
25- كلما زاد عمق وعيك ، كنت أكثر انغامسا عاطفيا .
26- ترتبط مشاعر الأمعاء بأحاسيس إيجابية مثل دفء الشعور بالشبع بعد تناو وجبة جيدة أو الإحساس اللطيف في أعماق معدتك أثناء ممارسة التنفس العميق أو شم رائحة في الحلويات العائلية .
27- عندما تقابل شخصا فإنك تنشيء نموذجا عقليا لكيفية تفكير هذا الشخص وشعوره ، لديك حدس أولي وسريع حول الشخص باستدعاء قاعدة الخاصة بك لمشاعر الأمعاء والصور النمطية والتصورات اللاواعية .
28- تعرف ظاهرة باسم توقع الكارثة ما يعني أن ببساطة أن مخك يكون التنبؤ القائم على الشعور المعوي بحدوث أسوأ نتيجة ممكنة .
29- في جميع أنحاء العالم يشكل الطعام أمرا أساسيا في التجارب الاجتماعية البشرية .
30- تناول الطعام ولا تكثر وليكن معظمه نباتيا .
31-  السكريات قليلة التعدد هو أن أجساد النساء تصنعها رغم حقيقة أنها غير قابلة للهضم بالنسبة لامعاء الإنسان .
32- يمكن أن تعزز الرضاعة الطبيعة نمو الطفل العاطفي والاجتماعي .
33- عندما يتغير نظامك الغذائي يمكن أن يغير بشكل أساسي الظروف المعيشية لميكروبات الأمعاء .
34-  عندما نشعر بالتوتر أو القلق بشكل خاص نلجأ إلى الأطعمة - الكعك و المخبوزات الأخرى والحلوى التي تجعلنا نشعر بتحسن قليل .
35- عندما تناول وجبة غنية بالدهون تزداد مستويات جزئيات الالتهاب بالدم في جميع أنحاء الجسم .
36- يتم التحكم في كمية الطعام التي تتناولها من خلال ثلاثة أنظمة متفاعلة بشكل وثيق في مخك : ١) نظام التحكم في الشهية الذي تنظمه منطقة ما تحت المهاد ، ٢) نظام مكافحة الدوبامين ، ٣) نظام التحكم التنفيذي .
37- إدمان الطعام هو أحد السلوكيات التي يمكن أن تنتج عن إعادة تشكيل آليات التحكم في الشهية لدينا .
38- تناول نسبة عالية من الدهون والسكر تعرض أجسامنا و مخاخنا للخطر .
39- الأمعاء هي أكثر الأعضاء الاستشعارية تعقيدا .
40- الحياة ضائعة دون روح الدعابة والحياة تدور حول السعادة والضحك .
41- يكون محور اتصال المخ والأمعاء والميكروبيوم أكثر عرضة للاضطرابات الصحية خلال ثلاث فترات ( فترة من الحمل إلى الرضاعة ، فترة البلوغ ، فترة الشيخوخة ) .
42- طوال مرحلة البلوغ كل ما نأكله ونشعر به يؤثر بشكل كبير على المحادثات الكيميائية التي تجربها الميكروبات المعوية مع لاعبين رئيسيين آخرين في أمعائنا .
43- كن مهندسا لنظامك البيئي .
44- تعلم الاستماع إلى أمعائك .
45- من أجل أن تصبح أكثر وعيا سيتعين عليك إتقان ثلاث مهارات مترابطة ( تعلم تركيز انتباهك في اللحظة الحالية والمحافظة عليه ، تحسين قدرتك على تنظيم عواطفك ، زيادة الوعي الذاتي .
46- كيف تغذي مكيروباتك المعوية ( استهدف زيادة تنوع الميكروبات المعوية عن طريق زيادة تناول الأطعمة المخمرة ، قلل من احتمالية التهاب الميكروبيوتا المعوية ، قلل الدهون الحيوانية ، تجنب كلما أمكن الاغذية المصنعة ، تناول حصصا صغيرة من الطعام في الوجبات ، انتبهي لتغذية الأم قبل الولادة ، قلل التوتر ومارس الوعي التام ، تجنب تناول الطعام عندما تكون متوترا أو غاضبا أو حزينا ، اغتنم المتعة الخفية والجوانب الاجتماعية للطعام ، كن خبيرا في الاستماع إلى مشاعرك المعوية .

[Debra Schoenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The little brain in your gut."

Having already read literature about this subject, I was eager to read Dr. Mayer's explanation of the relationship between our mind and our intestinal tract.

Dr. Mayer explains: "Your gut has capabilities that surpass all your other organs and even rival your brain. It has it's own nervous system, know in scientific literature as the enteric nervous system, or ENS, and often referred to in the media as the "second brain".

I also learned that the gut is the largest storage facility for serotonin in our body. Serotonin plays a crucial role in such vital functions as sleep, appetite, pain sensitivity, mood and overall well-being.

Other interesting topics covered in the book are:

Early stress and the hypersensitive gut
How stress effects can be transmitted from one generation to the next
Stress in the womb
Can your gut microbes change your brain?
The role of the microbiota in depression
The role of stress
Positive emotions
Understanding intuitive decision making
The lure of comfort foods
Maximize your gut microbial diversity

I like the advice that Michael Pollan gives in his book Food Rules "buy only things in the market that look like food. If they don't, they most likely will contain food additives that could harm your brain, including artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, fructose corn syrup, and vital gluten."

I found the book to be interesting overall. I did find that there were perhaps too many different subjects lumped together in this one text and some of the chapters were a little dry and repetitive. The author stressed that more research is still being conducted on this subject.

On a personal note, I did not agree with the author's belief that the theory of evolution produced such fascinating and complex nervous systems in our bodies. Something this exceptional could only have come from an intelligent mind.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delves into the concept of the microbiome in our bodies and how changes to it can affect our mind, body, and overall health.

I love that the author parrots Michael Pollan's dietary advice from his book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto: "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." It's one of my favorite quotes by Mr. Pollan and advice I try to heed.

Sticking to 'real' and 'whole' ingredients may not have dramatically changed my waistline, but it has made me feel better about the food I am providing for our family.

The discussions about the wildly out-of-control American food production systems and highly processed ingredients and additives (also ruminated over at length in Mr. Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals) really reinforce my conviction about how important it is to purchase local food, including seasonal produce, meats from humanely raised animals and eggs from pastured-raised chickens.

interesting quotes (page numbers from edition with ISBN13):

"The longitudinal studies on breast-fed infants have shown the longer an infant is breast-fed,the larger his brain is, a trait associated with improved cognitive development." (p.)

"What we experienced first-hand in our few days of living in this environment showed that the close interdependence of historical, spiritual, environmental, and biological factors contributes significantly to the impressive health benefits of the Mediterranean diet." (p.)

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[Sai Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights

Before going to some practical suggestions for a healthy gut microbe, it's important to understand that gut microbes play a crucial role in diseases like depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, various GI diseases (IBS, ulcers, etc.), and other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Here are some facts to keep in mind:

1. 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut by enterochromaffin cells, and the remaining 10% is produced in the brain. Serotonin serves many functions, one of which is to regulate our optimism and happiness. Most anti-depression drugs target this molecule by increasing its amount available to brain cells (serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRIs). In other words, poor gut microbe composition can lead to depression (along with multiple other factors like genes, environmental stress, etc.). Studies on rats show that replacing good microbes with bad ones in the gut can lead to depressed behaviors, such as not socializing. [source]
2. How does Alzheimer's happen? Inflammatory molecules are released when immune cells are triggered inside the gut linings chronically. Studies show that certain types of bacteria (search: Gram-negative bacteria) when in abundance (like when on a high-fat animal diet) can activate immune cells and release inflammation molecules (cytokines). These molecules can reach distant regions in the brain via blood and activate glial cells in the brain, producing inflammation molecules themselves and deteriorating brain cells. [source]

Conclusions and some suggestions:

Note: As every individual is different, varying in genes, conditioned diseases, stress-response, etc., don't take the suggestions as one-size-fits-all, only follow them if you feel better after including them in your lifestyle.

For adults:

1. Eat mostly vegetables (your local grocery shop have in all rainbow colors), grains, and occasionally lean meat.
2. Be mindful of chronic stress and minimize it (i.e., monthly loans, chronic growth induced by FOMO, unlivable partner, Bangalore traffic, etc.).
3. Take probiotics when in stress or viral infections, and particularly in old age, when gut microbe diversity and resilience tend to be low. (Probiotics: buttermilk, kimchi, kombucha, Yakult, etc.)
4. Fast, if possible prolonged fasting. Multiple studies have shown that it removes unnecessary toxins, and the theory is that it moves the microbes from the small intestine to the large intestine where many of them reside.
5. Avoid eating processed meat, which has a high-fat content, processed sugars (80% of the supermarket products), artificial sweeteners (diet cokes), food emulsifiers (mayonnaise, ice cream, peanut butter), etc.
6. Avoid eating when stressed (fighting with your partner or meeting the tight project deadline). When stressed, it changes the environment in the gut where only pathogenic microbes thrive, and giving food to these microbes would enable them to multiply and produce outputs (metabolites) that are akin to inflammatory molecules.

For infants:

Note: Human gut microbe diversity gets stabilized by the age of 3, later no amount of probiotics would increase the diversity for an adult, they might help when in infection to return to a previous state though. So it is important to have early good microbes' influence on the child from birth to age 3.

1. It is immensely beneficial to have a natural delivery of a child rather than cesarean birth. The amount of good bacteria transferred from the mother's vagina to the baby gives a good start for the baby's gut. [source]
2. Breastfeed the child until three years of age (ideal). The milk from mothers has good prebiotics (HMOs) that help the good bacteria thrive. Infant brain development reaches 90% of its capacity by this age, and mother's milk is helpful in developing a healthy brain. Studies have shown that breastfed children have bigger brains and a better emotional capacity.
3. Eliminate any chronic stress on the child. Why is stress linked to gut health? When stress is induced, the brain sends a signal to the gut to change its normal course (either for a fight or flight), creating a poor environment for beneficial bacteria to thrive. Moreover, it creates an environment for pathogenic bacteria to thrive, leading to infections. These early stress response behaviors also affect later in an adult where any simple stresses would lead to GI symptoms (like IBS, IBD, etc.).

Random insights (mostly top of the mind) on reading specific sentences.

From the book: Traditionally, a large part of our healthcare system—a more appropriate name for it would be our disease care system—has focused almost exclusively on treating the symptoms of the chronic disease, maximizing its efforts on expensive screening diagnostics and equally expensive long-term pharmacological treatments.

My comments: Symptom treating is ubiquitous in our globalized society. We tend to mitigate symptoms rather than rectifying the root cause of large-scale issues (fixing these root causes is not so easy, I believe). Examples include carbon capture to combat climate change instead of reducing the dependency on fossil fuels (although we deploy renewables, though these are at a very small scale), we buy air purifiers in living rooms to suck the pollution coughed by the car sitting in the garage, combating cancer with chemotherapy rather than mitigating it holistically (less chemicals in food, restriction on processed foods, organic farming, etc.), introducing digital well-being features in phones to reduce phone addiction rather than enforcing policies on how data is captured and used to display ads and making it more addictive. My gut intuition says the common thread that ties all these needles is this craving for unlimited growth in a limited and highly interconnected planet. Companies are spawned to mitigate externalities generated by other companies, as the author points out, the healthcare system and pharmacological companies are an example. They are mitigating the symptoms spawned by our food habits, social and environmental stressors.

I highly recommend reading the entire book. It will provide you with more insights(which I have missed obviously) into your own lifestyle and eating habits.

[Laura Martínez · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this book, but finally, I can move on. However, I would like to first write a review. I do not normally write reviews in English but I thought I could not keep my mouth shut regarding the content of The Mind-Gut Connection, from Emeran Mayer.

The author and, therefore, his book, seem untrustworthy to me. Mayer seems not to be a person in the search for answers, in the search for the truth, but rather a person with already established beliefs who is using some studies on his convenience to justify those beliefs. Even though at the end of the book he states that you can "develop your own personalized diet within the general constraints of the "ground rules" of high-diversity food", he still says that the best way to do this is mainly from plant sources. But what if those "ground rules" need to be questioned? Mayer even suggests following the recommended portions from food labels. Why do we have to do something that has been decided by a few for a whole population? One size does not fit all, right? In general, I notice a big lack of nuance in this book, which makes me feel very suspicious, for example, when it comes to the author's fixation on animal fat as something bad to all of us.

I'd like to highlight other points as well:

- The author says that the Mediterranean diet consists mainly of veggies. I am Mediterranean and that's just not true. Also, which Mediterranean diet is he talking about? The Spanish one, or which one? At least in my country of origin, Spain, we love animal fat and meat, overall. Vegetables are more like an optional choice. We eat lots of legumes, though.

- The author mentions the Seven Countries Study (page 255). Come on, is that study worth to be referenced nowadays? That made me think of this author as someone with a clear lack of awareness and criticism.

- The book has a preachy language and does not offer, as mentioned before, nuanced information, which I believe is important in an area that's sort of new in science such as the brain-gut connection.

- The author is extremely subjective throughout the book, which I guess it's good for a blogger that narrates a personal experience but probably not for a doctor that tries to bring science to a wider audience. One example, from page 247, relating to the generalized fear of gluten, goes on to say: "I have yet to meet a French or Italian person who would give up the consumption of delicious fresh-baked crispy baguettes, the soft and moist ciabatta bread, or the savory pasta dishes for the uncertain benefits of freeing themselves from common ailments that have existed since long before the recent surge in vital gluten." I am not going to discuss if gluten is good or bad but rather a subjacent idea: is this author promoting the consumption of this kind of food by using an appealing language? To me, this quote means something like "come on, go on eating baguettes, they are delicious. Instant gratification, yay! Let's not look further than that." Animal fat is bad, doctor Mayer, but baguettes and ciabattas are things that we should rather not give up. Let's eat pasta and bread, then. I guess that's healthier than a steak. W.h.a.t.e.v.e.r.

- This author seems to contradict himself often, but probably this is because he does not elaborate on many of his statements. He does not quote nor references properly. At the end of the book, the author has a page with bibliography. However, and throughout the text, it is very difficult to track where his affirmations come from. This makes the whole book untrustworthy. A patter that I saw often in The Mind-Gut Connection was: Mayer goes on to mention, maybe, one study (without quotations or references) and then he makes a case out of that single study or about the findings of a certain investigation group. I can also do that: find a study that justifies my own beliefs, since you can find many studies à la carte.

- Lack of clarity. The author goes on to criticize a high-fat diet but he does not explain what is this diet about. He does not elaborate on that, so I guess we have to figure out ourselves. On some pages, it seems to be a diet like the North American diet, where sugary products are consumed next to high-fat ones, but sometimes it seems to be a diet rich in animal fat where it is no clear the role of sugar. What is this high-fat diet? What constitutes a high-fat diet and why is it bad? Is it bad on its own or in combination with other things? Is it, maybe, a burger from McDonald's or is it a pork chop from your local farm served with homemade mayonnaise? Is it an avocado salad with Brazil nuts or is it a bucket of chicken wings from the KFC with an extra of fries?

There are some positive aspects in this book, though. That's why I give it two stars:

- The author dares to speak about something that's not so well known such as the brain-gut connection, which is important to take into account regarding our lifestyle habits.

- He remarks on how unhealthy the standard American diet is, which can help people from America search for other alternatives.

- The author informs that current health care systems focus on treating symptoms rather than identifying the underlying causes of disease. Interestingly, Mayer brings that to our awareness so we can be more proactive and critical about our health.

- Mayer reflects on how bad stress is for our overall health, especially to the health of our brain-gut axis. I believe the author mentioning this also brings awareness to the hazardous effects of stress on our overall health.

I hope this review helps.

[Juan Nalerio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Profundiza en los conceptos de la relación cerebro-estómago-flora microbiana.
Me pareció que la idea principal era repetida muchas veces de distintas formas.
Quizás para alguien más relacionado con el tema le puede resultar más interesante.
Para mi, dos estrellas y no más...

[Soha Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mayer's book explores the gut-brain axis by explaining how our emotions affect our digestive health. He looks into genetic make-ups and the function of microbiomes from the moment a baby is born. There is a discussion on the diet and its effect on the body. Mayer gives practical advice on how to improve gut health by using organic products, fasting and using fermented dairy products. Overall an informative book.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most up to date medical ideas about "gut feelings." They are very real and much more important than we had realized, according to this author from UCLA and the many studies from Stanford, Oxford, and elsewhere that he cites. A first-rate if detailed book: you might want to be sure you known your cytokines from your serotonin before you tackle it. But you will learn what those butterflies in your stomach are really telling you.

[Jayne Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept of this book had a lot of potential, so I was eager to read it. I was very disappointed to quickly find that it had a lot of filler writing, the basic facts were reiterated, the layout was hard to follow and the information was very basic. Not to mention that many of the cited clinical studies were based on animals,not humans, and a lot of the main concepts were concluded with “maybe”. This book could be summarized into a short article.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English language is peppered with references to how the gut influences us - "Gut feelings" "Butterfiles" are just some examples of this. I also find other cultures such as the Japanese say they "Think with their gut". So there are cultural foundations for linking out guts to our emotions and actions. Yet up until now I've heard/read very little about the connection between the brain and the stomach.

I came across this interesting book by Dr. Emeran Mayer in the Public Library - in the audiobook section. In the book, Dr. Mayer lays out the interesting science behind a brain-gut nexus. He covers some very fascinating ideas including the symbiotic relationship we have with the microbes in our stomachs. Reading/listening this got me thinking that our bodies are not just an assembly of systems - respiratory, digestive etc. - but an ecosystem of human beings and microbes.

The book also talks about the strong bidirectional links between the brain and the gut and how they communicate with each0ther and indeed the myriad of microbes that live within us.

I recommend it.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emeran Mayer left Bavaria and a family desert business to go to Southern California to become a gastroenterologist. He draws upon his own experiences and that of his patients, plus various scientific studies to explain how our guts work. He does as well as Mary Roach does in Gulp in explaining how food is digested, filling in details on how the byproducts of digestion seem to affect our brains (to the best of current knowledge). Unfortunately, he is still caught in the low fat is healthy mind set that has dominated medical minds for decades. Read the book for digestive details, make up you own mind on what is best for you to eat!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very disappointing book. Poorly written, little to no detail, extremely repetitive, author continually refers to his own past patients whose stories are not only unremarkable but which make the author appear somewhat egotistical. He also has no flair for writing in general.

I have a science background but even for someone with no knowledge of biology or the recent research surrounding the gut, this would be a bore. A much more enlightening and fairly well-written book I would recommend on the gut is “Gut” by Giulia Enders.

[Susan Oleksiw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easily accessible text on the growing information on the functioning of the digestive system and its close connection with the brain, on how the brain and gut interact and influence our emotions and physical health. Written to be accessible to the general reader, I found the text overall to be less compelling than other books on this topic. Nevertheless, the author introduces a topic that should be familiar to all concerned about physical and mental health.

[Laura Luzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been doctoring for 3 years and I have a lot of gut problems. In fact, I am scheduled for an endoscopy. Some medical books are so hard to understand, but this book was easy to read and made perfect sense to me. I related to many of the patients in this book. The findings are fascinating and I hope to use what I learned in my own life and live a healthier life.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5.
Disappointing. I'm interested in this subject but when I got to the passage implying that the 15 year old who gave birth over a banana leaf in the middle of the jungle was somehow a superior parent in all ways the skimming began for me. There is some good info but it may just be that subjects like this are evolving too quickly to be really useful in book form.

[Fawaz Abdul rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mind–Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer starts very slowly. Early on, Mayer presents a case study involving a patient with severe vomiting (cyclic vomiting syndrome), which is used to introduce the gut–brain connection. While interesting, I kept thinking that the same case could have been interpreted very differently by other authors. The Body Keeps the Score might have framed it as trauma being expressed through the body and treated via therapeutic techniques, while Bad Science would likely question placebo effects or the assumptions behind the treatment.
This led me to a broader concern that goes beyond this book. Much of medicine still relies on prescribing drugs even when the real underlying cause is unclear, and then fitting the outcome into a general explanatory framework. As medicine moves toward personalization, I kept wondering when diagnosis and treatment will truly become individualized rather than applying one dominant model to everyone.
In that context, I also found myself thinking about recent advances in large language models. They potentially open the door to far more personalized medical consulting, allowing individuals to interpret medical reports and research at the level of detail they personally want, rather than relying only on generalized explanations.
As the book continues, a large portion focuses on how our gut microbiome is shaped before birth and during the first three years of life. While fascinating, this also left me wondering what practical value this information has for an adult reader. Realistically, nothing can be changed about that period.
Only toward the very end does the book offer practical suggestions: eating a wide variety of foods, avoiding rigid trendy diets, staying away from foods that do not resemble “real food,” and exercising, which is unquestionably beneficial even if the science is still evolving. However, these recommendations felt vague. What does eating “smaller quantities” actually mean? Three meals a day? Five? And what exactly counts as “real food,” especially when our idea of normal food keeps shifting over time?
Overall, it is a tricky book to follow at times, but it does offer an interesting perspective on the gut–brain relationship. While I wished for more concrete, actionable guidance supported by clearer experimental evidence, it still provides thought-provoking insights and raises important questions.

[Caitlin O’Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me you know this is something I talk about, have struggled with, and am learning to understand and cope better. I found this book super easy to follow and gained a lot of validation for my own struggles and learned some more about how to continue to improve my brain gut connection🧠🤩!!!! Wooo science

[Miki]

If a new edition of the physical version of this book is published, I'm buying it! SO GOOD. I suffer from a digestive issue, and this book was so helpful for me. That being said, I think that this is a book that everyone would benefit from reading :)

[Audiobook, borrowed from Hoopla]

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the advice the author gives in regards to eating and lifestyle is definitely nothing new if you’ve read any sort of health and wellness literature before but it’s very cool to learn the science behind the gut micro biome and how it plays into our overall wellbeing.

[Justine Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this book to read more as a self help book rather than a scientific paper. As a self help book the author spoke with too much uncertainty and focused too much of the research behind the theories instead of how to implement said theories in day to day life.

2 stars - self help book
3 stars - scientific paper