In the two hundred years since we discovered that microbes cause infectious diseases, we've battled to keep them under control. But a recent explosion of scientific knowledge has led to undeniable evidence that early exposure to these organisms is beneficial to our children's well-being. Our modern lifestyle, with its emphasis on hyper-cleanliness, is having a negative effect on our children's lifelong health.

In this engaging and important book, microbiologists B. Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire Arrieta explain how the trillions of microbes that live in and on our bodies influence childhood development and why an imbalance in those microbes can lead to obesity, diabetes and asthma, among other chronic conditions. Offering practical advice from conception through to pregnancy and beyond on what parents can do to impact their children's health - from natural childbirth and breastfeeding to the benefits of antibiotics and vaccinations - this invaluable guide will help you to nurture stronger, more resilient and healthier children.

B. Brett Finlay, PhD, is a professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and at the University of British Columbia. He has been at the forefront of the emerging field of cellular microbiology and is well recognized internationally for his work, having won prestigious awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Order of Canada. He is a senior fellow and the program director at Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). He co-wrote Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Oversanitized World (Greystone Books, 2016) and lives in Vancouver, BC.

B. Brett Finlay's profile page

"Estudió en el laboratorio Finlay y ahora es profesora asistente en la Universidad de Calgary en Canadá. Ha analizado la microbiología intestinal y la inmunología durante los últimos 10 años, y su estudio acerca de la relación del asma en bebés muy jóvenes con la falta de especies bacterianas intestinales clave en su desarrollo se consideró un descubrimiento en el campo y fue reportado por docenas de noticieros en todo el mundo en 2015. Además, el trabajo de Marie-Claire ha sido publicado en revistas científicas como Gastroenterology, PNAS y Science Translational Medicine. Sus días transcurren entre experimentos, artículos de ciencia y la crianza de sus dos hijos pequeños."

Marie-Claire Arrieta's profile page