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Margaret “Peg” Riley, professor of biology, has written the first undergraduate textbook for students interested in learning about the human microbiome. “The Human Microbiome in Health and Disease: An Introduction” is set to be published by Princeton University Press on Dec. 9.

Each of our bodies is home to trillions of microorganisms that shape our health, prevent disease and influence conditions ranging from depression to allergies. Riley’s new book offers a detailed look at how our microbial inhabitants – known as the microbiome – affect almost every facet of our health. It examines the microbiome’s primordial origins and their symbiosis with humans to the latest microbiome research, utilizing real-world case studies and current clinical insights to show how shifts in the microbiome can play a role in obesity, autoimmune disorders, depression and other conditions.

Each chapter incorporates cutting-edge research findings, exploring both traditional and new therapeutic approaches to restoring microbiome balance, with text that emphasizes the interactions between diet and microbiome health, showing how personalized dietary choices can serve as preventive and therapeutic tools, and describes emerging microbiome-based diagnostics and treatments.

“The Human Microbiome in Health and Disease: An Introduction” is currently available for preorder from Princeton University Press.