Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome

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Kinross makes it clear that the composition of the microbiome has been implicated in many conditions, but the truth is that this is really nothing new. The great unknowns are the exact mechanisms by which the composition of the microbiome may (and I stress may) be a factor in these conditions, and the science is so young that there simply isn't the evidence to make any definitive claims; given the extreme number of confounders, it's very unlikely we ever will. Ideally, we need to nurture our gut microbiome from birth. I think that this is so important, that it should be a given human right. One of the ways to do this is for women to breastfeed if they can and for children to have all their vaccinations – that way, they’re much less likely to need antibiotics. When used correctly, antibiotics save lives, but overuse causes more harm than good. We also need our children to play outside with other children and to have a diverse diet that is high in fibre and low in saturated fats. Have you made changes in your own life because of what you’ve learnt about our gut microbiome? And how the biome is affected by your social environment; the brain-gut axis looks to be key to our survival. It’s also becoming clear that samples from some donors are much more effective than those from others. These are known as “super donors” and their faeces seems to contain a magical ingredient that makes it particularly effective. But we don’t understand why this happens, or whose poo will be most effective. Ray’s response to his FMT treatment was just like that in the reported literature. Within three days of receiving the microbiota transplant he was out of bed. Heather described it as a miracle. If I’ve spent longer than is entirely comfortable talking about faeces, that’s because FMT is a starting point for understanding the importance of the gut microbiome to human health. The extraordinary benefit of FMT in some patients has opened the clinical world to the idea that our microbes may have an important role in the causation and treatment of diseases where their involvement runs contrary to medical science.

An urgent investigation into the brave new world of the microbiome and how it shapes our lives and health. Books» Non-Fiction» Medicine» Other branches of medicine» Pathology» Medical microbiology & virology Eat more omega 3 New research suggests a relationship between gut microbes, omega 3 and brain health

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Eat more fibre Most of us eat only half the recommended 30g a day. But start slowly – our guts don’t like rapid change

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.My general hypothesis is that we are experiencing a fundamental change in the type, number and function of micro-organisms that live within us in the developed world. That has happened over a very short timeframe and the reason for that is not just about diet and food. It’s also about our rapidly changing environment (particularly urbanised environments), which we call the exposome, and the fact that we are now taking lots of medicines, especially antibiotics. Clearly diet is a major driver too and in America and Europe, we now eat a kind of globalised, processed, white, gloopy diet which is very low in plant-based fibres and very high in animal fats and refined sugars. This book is really, really interesting ... Nothing more important in your life than your microbiome .... this will change your life Chris Evans