I relied on hundreds of sources of information during the two years it took to write The Athlete’s Gut. I’ve done my best to acknowledge each of these sources in the text and the Notes section. Still, a few of these works deserve a special acknowledgment because of the extent to which I relied on them or because of the inspiration they gave me. The Gastrointestinal System: Gastrointestinal, Nutritional and Hepatobiliary Physiology edited by Po Sing Leung (Springer, 2014) was incredibly helpful when it came time to describe the nitty-gritty details of the digestive system; it’s one of the more comprehensive, yet accessible textbooks on the gut. I wish to recognize the editor and chapter authors for creating a wonderful resource for understanding the mysteries of the gut.
Another source that was incredibly valuable to me was Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by science writer Mary Roach (Norton, 2013). If you’re not familiar with Roach’s writing, I strongly encourage you to dive into her book catalog. There are few authors who can take otherwise prosaic scientific topics and make them as accessible and entertaining as Roach does. Her books are filled with hilarious (and sometimes disturbing) anecdotes, bringing the subject matter to life. In Chapter 1 of The Athlete’s Gut, I describe a 23-year-old model with bulimia who died after eating 19 pounds of food in one sitting, which is a story I first learned of from reading Gulp. Roach’s account of that fateful meal inspired me to go down the virtual rabbit hole of PubMed to find other stories of people keeling over from overeating. Likewise, Roach’s interviews with flatulence researchers (particularly Michael Levitt from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System) prompted me to include sections of text on farts and the subjective rating of said farts. (Remember that study I mentioned in Chapter 2 that had two people eject flatus up their noses? I learned about that from Gulp.) Gulp is without a doubt the most entertaining book I’ve read about the gut, and if you haven’t had your fill of digestive science after reading The Athlete’s Gut, you should definitely give Gulp a try.
The book My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel (Alfred A. Knopf, 2014) inspired me to share some of my own issues with anxiety as well as seek out anecdotes of athletes suffering from anxiety-induced gut problems. In My Age of Anxiety, Stossel weaves together information from scientific research, historical accounts, and his own experiences to vividly depict the toll that anxiety can have on the human body and the gut. He pulls no punches when it comes to sharing his own struggles with anxiety, and several of his anecdotes involve severe anxiety–induced gut distress. One of these is a humiliating yet hilarious toilet-clogging incident at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Stossel was there to do research for a book he was writing on Sargent Shriver when he was stricken with severe anxiety while out and about. He rushed back to the house and proceeded to clog the guest bathroom, ruining his pants in the process. This all happened with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, and Ted Kennedy around. If you’re a glutton for these types of stories and writing that mixes science, self-deprecating humor, and history, I’m sure you’ll appreciate My Age of Anxiety.
Beyond these written sources, several people deserve my sincerest thanks for helping to bring The Athlete’s Gut to life. I cannot thank VeloPress enough for taking a chance on an author like me who is accustomed to writing dull scientific articles. Casey Blaine and, in particular, Andy Read pushed me to make my writing more accessible and engaging for the reader. Andy did a magnificent job of helping me to shape and focus the narrative of the book without compromising the scientific integrity of the information. I’d also like to thank Managing Editor Sarah Gorecki for her efforts to keep the editing process on schedule. My appreciation also goes out to copyeditor Marjorie Woodall, who went through the manuscript with a fine-tooth comb to find all the inevitable typos and errors that come with writing a book of this magnitude and scope, as well as to proofreader Carolyn Sobczak. A final thank you goes out to the individuals involved in the illustrations, artwork, and cover design—Vicki Hopewell, Andrew Nilsen, Corey Hollister, and Erin Farrell.