Povestea hormonilor noștri. Puterea hormonilor de-a lungul vietii noastre

Max Nieuwdorp looks at how hormones shape our health. He tracks their role from conception, when life begins. He then turns to childhood and puberty, when the body matures. He covers adult life, menopause, andropause and old age. He looks at strong feelings and salt cravings in older people. He explores a baby's sex and the mother's immune system. He covers health of mind and body during and after birth.

This science book is for general readers, not medical students. It is not a medical textbook. Nieuwdorp uses real cases and plain words to explain science. He tracks seventy years of research and older beliefs about the body.

He looks at hormone changes in fathers and early puberty. He also explores how children play and teens act on urges. Love, heartbreak and hunger are themes too. He covers metabolism, or how the body uses food for energy. He asks how the body controls weight. He explores how hormones may help fight obesity, or excess body fat. He weighs the gains and drawbacks of gastric bypass surgery.

He looks at gut microbes, the tiny life forms in our guts. He covers immune problems, stress, thyroid disease and memory too. Later parts deal with hormone treatments. He weighs claims that testosterone can keep us young. He explores stem cells and how to age in good health. He also looks at biological age, or how old the body is.

Nieuwdorp disputes claims that hormones can cure every symptom. He rejects the claim that hormones alone control us. He says the same of the brain. Our surroundings, bodies and inner lives all affect each other.

Born in 1977, Nieuwdorp is an internist, a doctor of internal medicine. He is also a hormone expert. He holds a post as professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center. He heads a department there too. He worked as a visiting researcher at the University of California, San Diego. He studies how hormones and gut microbes affect health.

Alexa Stoicescu translated this edition from Dutch. Its original title is Wij zijn onze hormonen.