If you want to learn more about what’s going on in your gut, the first step is to turn your poo blue. How long it takes for a muffin dyed with blue food colouring to pass through your system is a measure of your gut health: the median is 28.7 hours; longer transit times suggest your gut isn’t as healthy as it could be. We are only now beginning to understand the importance of the gut microbiome: could this be the start of a golden age for gut-health science? This book is really, really interesting ... Nothing more important in your life than your microbiome .... this will change your life Chris Evans The human microbiome represents the most important new therapeutic target that we have for treating the greatest threats to human life in the 21st century and for preventing future pandemics of pathogens. This was not only important for Ray – it is critical for all of us: without a stable and diverse microbiome, we may well lose our minds. Behind all this is a simple message: microbes are not the enemy. If you're a young parent, this book is particularly crucial for you. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in the health of young children, and Kinross provides actionable insights on what can be done to ensure better health for our children in the future. Spector hopes his tests – which don’t just test for microbes, but also assess blood fat and blood glucose responses to specific foods – will change this. “We’re just starting to get to the point where we can suggest individualised foods. This is not just isolated microbiome testing,” he says. “We have trials in place to quantify this, but the initial results are exciting, with nearly everyone reporting weight loss and improved energy levels without any calorie counting or traditional weight loss methods. Previous microbiome tests have been sub-optimal [but the] ZOE approach is completely different: using state of the art sequencing allows us to detect species and strains and find strong associations between these microbes and both foods and health.”

Dark Matter review: The amazing story of the microbial world Dark Matter review: The amazing story of the microbial world

A spellbinding explanation of microbiology that will help you get to the bottom of health and happiness John Vincent, Co-Founder of Leon But a healthy gut doesn’t just reduce the risk of cancer, it has wide-ranging benefits. “We have to think of the gut as this big sensory organ which has lots of lovely bacteria in it,” says Dr James Kinross, a consultant colorectal surgeon at Imperial College London. “That bacteria interacts with your environment, which then in turn communicates with your immune system.”

Everything we’re doing now is scratching the surface,” says Spector. “We are maybe 10% of the way there, because every week, we’re discovering something new. Humans want an easy answer [to improve our gut health], but you shouldn’t take anyone seriously who doesn’t say it’s complicated,” he says. “There’s a massive industry that needs a simple message to sell its products. They want to say all you’ve got to do is eat this bar, this yoghurt or this protein drink.” The logistics of preparing an FMT should not be underestimated. Faecal donors have to be found – harder than you might think. Most of us are squeamish about pooing in pots, and we struggle to do it on demand. Some studies use friends and families, others use members of staff, volunteers or “pooled” samples taken from lots of donors mixed together.

Dark Matter by James Kinross - Penguin Books New Zealand Dark Matter by James Kinross - Penguin Books New Zealand

Eat more fibre Most of us eat only half the recommended 30g a day. But start slowly – our guts don’t like rapid changeAn urgent investigation into a brave new world in science - the microbiome - and how it could save our health. In 2023, looking after the gut has become a popular pastime for the health-conscious. And for good reason. According to Cancer Research, Bowel cancer is now the fourth most common cancer in the UK, yet 54 per cent of cases are preventable. I've long been interested in the microbiome, and have been eagerly awaiting a book that might uncover some of its mysteries. This is that book Heston Blumenthal

Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome eBook

But what if I told you that faeces was not toxic waste and that it contained the secret to human health? Would you eat it, if your life depended on it? What if it was rebranded as a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) or, more accurately, a faecal milkshake given through a tube that passes through the nose into the stomach? You could even take it in the form of a capsule – or “crapsule” – if you wanted. In his new book Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome, Dr James Kinross lays bare the mind-boggling world of what lies in our guts: the delicate ecosystem of trillions of microbial life forms that live within us all. Without us even realising, our gut’s unique ecosystem is the missing link in modern medicine and what’s more, is heavily influenced by our environment. In this mindblowing book, scientist and surgeon James Kinross explains how the organisms that live within us have helped us evolve, shaped our biology and defined the success of our species. But just as we have discovered this delicate and complex ecosystem within us, it is being irrevocably destroyed through antibiotic addition, industrial food production, the globalisation of our diets and lifestyles, and the destruction of our environment. Making your own food is essential for exposure to microbes. “It’s very important to make your own food,” says Dr Kinross. “It’s important to get your hands dirty, especially if you are sharing plates. What happens is that you share bugs and your gut microbiome will be healthier.” Don’t assume turmeric will fix all your gut issues

Retailers:

Polyphenols are a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps produce good bacteria in the stomach. It also helps reduce inflammation in the gut. This magic chemical can be found in blueberries and vegetables such as aubergine, tomatoes, white potatoes and peppers. “It occurs in a lot of nightshade vegetables, so we have a lot of that,” he says. Yet it is only now, as we are beginning to discover the microbiome's enormous potential, that we are realising it is in grave danger, being irrevocably destroyed through the globalisation of our diets, the war on bugs and the industrialised world. Tumeric, ginger, and other species are recommended but they’re not a panacea for a healthy gut,” says Dr Kinross. “We have to be quite careful when we’re talking about this. If you’re putting turmeric on fatty sausages, it’s not going to make any difference. Spices have to be part of a bigger nutritional strategy.” Don’t overuse antibiotics Dr Kinross advises eating around 30g of fibre a day. “Fibre is broken down by bugs in your gut. We don’t metabolise fibre, the bugs do that on our behalf. This helps grow those molecular goodies, that promote health. Fibre also absorbs toxins in the gut.” The “gut microbiome” is the name we have used to describe not only the wildly diverse collection of microbes that live there, but also what happens when they interact with each other and with our bodies. In other words, it’s an ecosystem made up of trillions of microbial life forms going about their business inside us, as we go about ours.

Dark Matter By James Kinross | Used | 9780241543979 | World Dark Matter By James Kinross | Used | 9780241543979 | World

This is a really nuanced and difficult thing to talk about, because of course, sometimes we have to take medicines,” says Dr Kinross. “I don’t want people to think that if your GP recommends antibiotics you shouldn’t take them.” Instead, Dr Kinross recommends: “I would sit down with my doctor and ask, what medicines am I taking that I don’t really need to be on? You might be taking proton pump inhibitor medicines for changing the acidity of the gut, or any kind of unnecessary painkillers. Do I really need to be on medicines to control my blood lipid chemistry or are there things that I could change in my lifestyle that would reduce my blood cholesterol?” The sense of revulsion we feel when we’re faced with human excrement (or even just the thought of it) is, in part, a response to the way it looks and smells. But that revulsion is also a psychological reflex, ingrained by potty training and social stigma. This aversion is an important safety mechanism: handwashing and sewer systems prevent the spread of diseases that have killed millions.

Myths about antibiotics debunked - from how long to take them for to impact on your gut health

How well do you know your gut? You may have seen the word probiotics on your food, or possibly seen recipes to help your gut health with the three K’s: Kombucha, Kefir and Kimchi. But if your life depended on it, would you eat someone else’s poo? The final frontier for gut microbiome exploration is its relationship with our brains, something the new fields of nutritional psychiatry and psychobiotics are digging into. We already know the gut has its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system, and contains 100m neurons. We also know the gut-brain axis, via the vagus nerve, shoots neurotransmitters produced within the gut around the body and to the brain, which is why Cryan’s lab has studied the impact of particular bacteria on sleep and how certain types of fibre can improve complex cognitive processes. Though there’s still much about our microbiome we don’t understand, Dr Kinross highlights how learning about our microbiome has the potential to prevent illness, to shape how we think, how we feel and even who we choose as a partner.