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 A fountain of knowledge and sense in an overwhelming world of science Rhiannon Lambert, Registered Nutritionist and Sunday Times Bestselling Author Lifestyle First Person I bought a house on a flood plain - don't make the same mistake as me Read More Don’t eat and drink alone Ray was readmitted to St Mary’s critically unwell and was soon diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (C diff) infection (officially, this bacteria has now been renamed Clostridiodes). A “hospital-acquired infection”, this disease is a complication of 20th-century medicine and an unintended consequence of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, the first effective mass-produced antibiotic, in 1928. It is a global problem that afflicts 500,000 people in the United States each year and it kills 29,000 of them. 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 by James Kinross - Penguin Books Australia Dark Matter by James Kinross - Penguin Books Australia

In this ground-breaking book, surgeon and expert on the microbiome, James Kinross, takes us on a guided tour of our extraordinary inner universe, showing how our relationship with microbes may hold the key to why we are increasingly succumbing to diseases and conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's, autoimmune conditions and allergies. He highlights how hyperglobalization and our addiction to antibiotics has transformed our internal ecosystems and why this matters so much to our future health and happiness.A totally addictive and illuminating read. Compelling from beginning to end Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, gastroenterologist and bestselling author of The Kitchen Prescription Dr Ben Mullish, a clinical scientist at Imperial College London, was running a trial of FMT in patients with C diff infections. Ray was so unwell that Dr Mullish offered him the treatment. Heather understood that there are good and bad bugs and advised her husband to go ahead with it, but Ray was not having it. The idea of taking another human’s faeces was just too much for him, and he refused. Three days later, however, he had deteriorated so much that there was no other choice. Ray consented to the trial. 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.

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

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.The human microbiome has a big influence on our health and yet, rather like dark matter in cosmology, its story is still unfolding, says a tantalising book covering the future of medicine from James Kinross Here, Dr Kinross shares how he looks after his gut every day (as much as he can) and the things he would never do. Do enjoy a bit of red wine, don’t go for spirits or beer He is increasingly interested in how the gut microbiome develops in newborn babies and the implications on our long-term health.

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

Engaging ... [ Dark Matter] stands out in revealing the microbiome through the eyes of a clinician who sees each patient not just as a human, but as a human entwined with a complex, dynamic ecosystem New ScientistIf 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.