In my childhood I had a love for reading. I guess you could call it one of my hobbies. I took books everywhere and spent any spare second reading. Mind you, these were the days before cell phones (yes kids, we didn’t always have those, and yes, I am that “old’). As mentioned in my New Year’s Resolution post, I realized that reading for leisure had escaped from my life and I wanted to bring it back. I have been able to do so slowly but surely and finally read a book that I purchased about a year ago… 10% Human.
So the title of this book alone can provoke some thought. No, this book isn’t about some crazy alien/human race that has taken over and is a mere 10% human. This title is referring to the amazing fact that we are more microbe than we are human. For every one cell that is actually you, actually human, there are nine other cells of bacteria and/or fungi making your body home.
Now, before you get too freaked out, you NEED these extra microscopic organisms to live and be healthy. Some bacteria helps you sustain a more healthy life than others. While some of our microbes are genetic there are others based on our activity and what we eat.
The author, Alanna Collen, experienced a severe illness that led to an intense round of antibiotics which cured that illness, but left her with some undesirable side effects. That is the event that sparked Collen’s interest in the topic and from there she collected all of the latest research and combined it into this 2015 science publication.
While I admit that I am a total nerd and enjoy learning about exercise, nutrition, and the human body in my reading, I do think the average person might enjoy this read as well. Collen does a great job of getting the facts across and keeping the reader engaged, but then again, I am fascinated by the topic so I may have a slight bias.
Your gut microbiome (all the bacteria and fungi living in your gut) plays a major role in overall health, immune response, disease states, obesity, and even mental health. The more we learn about these microbes, how they work, and who has what types, the closer we can get to cures for some conditions.
Are we taking too many antibiotics? Could autism be a disorder caused by early antibiotic treatment? Are we obese because we eat too much or because our guts don’t have the right “residents”? Are allergies in children avoidable, and what really causes them? How does a natural birth versus Cesarean really affect your newborn’s health?
Collen addresses these questions and so much more in her book. If any of this interests you, give it a read. I would love to share all the tidbits that I learned but I would never do the content justice in my explanation. This may be one of those things that I read a couple times before I’m really able to fully understand the information and get most of the content.
If you have read this or end up reading it, please let me know what you think! 😀
Purchase link** from Amazon below! 🙂
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