Awards

• Short-listed for Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science 2023

Overview

Inflammation is the body’s ancestral response to its greatest threats: injury and foreign microbes. But as the threats we face have evolved, new science reveals simmering inflammation underneath the surface of everything from heart disease and cancer to mysterious autoimmune conditions. In A Silent Fire, gastroenterologist Shilpa Ravella takes us on a lyrical quest across time, around the world and into the body to reveal hidden inflammation at the root of modern disease—and how we can control it. We meet an eccentric Russian zoologist, the passionate yet flawed inventor of Kellogg’s Cornflakes, and dedicated researchers working on the frontiers of medical and nutritional science today. With fascinating case studies, Ravella debunks common myths about “anti-inflammatory” lifestyles—adding or eliminating any one food, for example, is not a cure-all—and unmasks the links between food, the microbiome and inflammation. A paradigm-shifting understanding of human health, A Silent Fire shows us how to live not only long, but well.

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9780393541908

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Reviews

A must-read for anyone interested in cutting-edge medicine. It is no exaggeration to say that low-level inflammation may be an insidious factor contributing to numerous diseases of aging, and Shilpa Ravella, a gastroenterologist with a writer's gift for translating complex science into clean, beautiful prose, is the perfect person to tell this gripping tale.--Kathleen McAuliffe, author of This Is Your Brain on Parasites A spellbinding tale taking us from the early Greek physicians to the COVID-19 pandemic.... The insights Ravella reveals point to a pathway that can enhance both our personal well-being today and that of the planet we pass on to our grandchildren.--Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Critical to our health is understanding how to stave off inflammatory diseases.... Shilpa Ravella makes this complex topic accessible and engaging, winding together a wonderful historical perspective with cutting-edge science.--Justin Sonnenburg, coauthor of The Good Gut Inflammation is a double-edged sword that heals and destroys; it has already saved your life, but most likely will contribute to ending it.... Shilpa Ravella takes us on a grand tour of the medical science and the personal cases that have advanced our understanding of the whys and ways of this fundamental process.--Martin J. Blaser, MD, author of Missing Microbes Shilpa Ravella's deeply researched, far-ranging book shows us how inflammation links the pathologies of modern life. Even better, it lets us in on a practicing gastroenterologist's insights on the role of diet and what we can do to stop or even reverse the effects of 'inflammaging.' This necessary book has the power to change the way we think and eat.--Amit Majmudar, MD, author of What He Did in Solitary

Author Information

Shilpa Ravella is a transplant gastroenterologist with expertise in nutrition and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Her writing has appeared in the Atlantic, New York magazine, Slate, Wall Street Journal, and Discover, among other publications.

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