The Personalized Diet

January 1, 2018

Israel-based MDs Segal (computational biologist) and Elinav's (immunologist) work is a science-behind-the-diet book with a unusual approach and no recipes. The coauthors combine their disciplines to work on a "massive personalized nutrition study" of more than 1,000 subjects. They explain why the "one-fits-all" diet philosophy is unfounded, arguing for a personalized regimen. Their approach uses blood-glucose levels combined with a test of individuals' gut microbiome to discover which foods are "bad" or "good." The hope is that this information will help people avoid high blood-sugar levels and create a healthy gut microbiome, which, in turn, would help them avoid metabolic diseases and other health problems. The last section details steps one can take to start on this path and instructions for blood testing at home (also included is a noninvasive method for those who can't or won't use the blood test procedure). VERDICT A compelling and thorough proposal that offers another avenue to health. Note that a company spun off by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel offers gut microbiome tests, for a fee, but is not mentioned too heavily in this text.--Elizabeth J. Eastwood, Los Alamos Cty. Lib. Syst., NM

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