B. Brett Finlay - The Whole-Body Microbiome

The Whole-Body Microbiome: How to Harness MicrobesInside and Outfor Lifelong Health
Copyright 2019 by B. Brett Finlay, PhD, and Jessica M. Finlay, PhD

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This book contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the book, and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or riskpersonal or otherwisethat is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

ISBN 978-1-61519-481-0
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-509-1

Cover and text design by Sophie Appel
Cover illustrations by svtdesigns | shutterstock.com
Author photograph by Jarusha Brown (Jessica M. Finlay) and Carlos Taylhardat (B. Brett Finlay)

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing January 2019
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Jane and Matt

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be...
Robert Browning

Also by B. Brett Finlay, PhD
with Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD

Let Them Eat Dirt: How Microbes Can Make Your Child Healthier

B ut Dad, what do microbes do after the age of twelveas in, for the rest of our lives? Thats what I want to know! During a family vacation crack-of-dawn run along Hawaiis rugged coastline, we were distracting ourselves from the muggy heat of the rising sun by discussing Let Them Eat Dirt. The book, which Brett coauthored with Marie-Claire Arrieta, had just come out and presented a somewhat radical idea: that conceiving and raising children in a highly sanitized world is not as good as it sounds. Jessica, his daughter and fellow scientist, was fascinated by her dads research and findings, but her mind, if not her pace, was already far ahead in the human lifespan, seeking answers for how she could apply microbial science to aging populations, her chosen demographic of study in grad school. Brett was used to this question and knew she was onto somethinghe had heard some variation of it many times before from colleagues, friends, and public audiences whenever he talked about the book. Ive already had my kids and I am not getting any younger. What about me?

Brett glanced back after pushing ahead of Jessica up a steep hill. He replied, Well, we know that gut microbes are involved in asthma, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and many other serious health issues. But whats really cool is how microbial communities are playing a role in aging in sites distant to the gut across the entire body. Everything from wrinkles to Alzheimers disease and systemic inflammation have microbial links. Between labored breaths and the occasional break to take in dramatic ocean views, Jessica and Bretts wheels began to turn in sync. For the rest of vacation, when not boogey boarding and hiking (can you tell yet that were slightly high energy?), Jessica peppered her dad for more information about microbes, health, disease, and microbial perspectives on aging. Thus, this book about approaching the end of life was born.

With his sixtieth birthday inching closer each day, Brett already had age on his mind. Peering ahead at retirement, minute reminders of getting older that had previously remained under the surface now permeated his thoughts. Waking up to stiff muscles, he pondered: How can I make sure that Im still running and skiing with my kidsand hopefully grandkidsin my sixties and seventies? Plus, as colleagues and friends slowly but surely began to show signs of aging, and parents advanced through their eighties, discussions about aging had taken a central role in his daily life.

Jessica was thinking about the same thing, but from a very different perspective. When she began graduate school at the age of twenty-two, she began to feel old for the first time. Moving to a new city and country with newly minted bachelors degrees in-hand, she felt knowledgeable and much more grown up than the geography undergraduate students she taught. Then a community organization asked if she would consider volunteering with older adults instead of children, and her entire life course shifted. As Jessica made weekly visits to seniors in a wellness outreach program, she took the opportunity to closely observe older people in her community, amassing a data set no longer limited to visits with grandparents. She now noticed the woman with her walker and laden with groceries struggling to cross the street in time, and began waving to the older man who sat on a shaded bench across the street. So often invisible and relegated to the margins, older adults took on a new role at the center of her life. Now at the age of thirty, Jessica regularly contemplates her own aging and mortality (even more so than the average thirty-year-old), in addition to those around her. With a doctoral minor in gerontology, she is the resident aging expert for her family. Her friends frequently ask for advice on how to preserve their skin and hair as they point worriedly to wrinkles and grays; and happy hour chatter tends more often than ever before to stray into discussions of ideal places to retire.

The Whole-Body Microbiome is the accumulation of our shared interests in healthy aging and personal motivation to develop strategies to age better. As scientists and researchers, we wanted to see what was out there regarding scientific knowledge on aging and the microbiome. After compiling and distilling a massive literature review of existing studies, we extrapolated potential steps we all might take now for health and longevity, and aim to encourage the future direction of research and clinical applications. Along the way, we encountered many questions and misconceptions about microbes and aging, which we highlight in the Myth/Fact sections throughout the book.

Despite the title of Dr. in front of our names, neither of us are physicians, but rather PhDs who are full-time scientific researchers. We are not geriatricians or clinical gerontologists: Jessicas expertise stems from years of studying and working closely with older adults in geographic and public health research, which is a perfect complement to Bretts expert biological knowledge of the human microbiome. The tips and suggestions throughout this book are therefore based directly upon academic research; there are no rigid or prescriptive medical recommendations. Expert interviews and key references will help readers make informed diet, lifestyle, and personal health decisions.