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. His recent book, Dark Matter, looks at the role of micro-organisms – harmful and helpful – in our bodies and the impact on our health of their imbalance in our system and in the world around us. In this blog*, Dr James Kinross tells us more and offers some tips. What is a microbiome? Books» Non-Fiction» Medicine» Medicine: General Issues» Public health & preventive medicine» Personal & public health

Dietary and lifestyle changes in westernised societies which seemed a good, convenient, palatable (and, boy oh boy, profitable) idea at the time now emerge as causes of a mass of chronic diseases and damaging health conditions. You and people near you have almost certainly got some. A totally addictive and illuminating read. Compelling from beginning to end Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, gastroenterologist and bestselling author of The Kitchen Prescription Our gut microbiome is responsible for educating our immune systems as we grow and for controlling how those immune systems function later in life, as we age. We are just now starting to understand the role our gut microbiome plays in defining our risk of chronic or non-communicable disease and conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, allergies and cancer. How did you become interested in this area? 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.This book is really, really interesting ... Nothing more important in your life than your microbiome .... this will change your life Chris Evans 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.

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. 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 ScientistI think Dr Kinross is spot on when it comes to the Microbiome being the next very important area for modern medicine to get to grips with. He gives some excellent examples, and some very in depth explanations. Fermented foods are now thought to be integral to a healthy gut because they provide a vast amount of natural probiotics which can boost immunity and soothe the digestive tract. Johnny Drain is a materials scientist and a chef who believes in the benefits of fermentation, and has looked worldwide for innovations in techniques and flavours. Eat more fibre Most of us eat only half the recommended 30g a day. But start slowly – our guts don’t like rapid change

Spector’s 30-year-long study of 15,000 twins, TwinsUK, and his PREDICT studies have shown that even genetically identical people respond to the same foods very differently (our microbiomes are so variable that twins share only 30% of the same gut microbes). By feeding participants the same meals on different days, he was able to show that responses to the same meals also vary hugely between individuals, influenced by both the microbiome and genetics. This matters, says the ZOE team, because our response to food is linked to our risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, but also because it blows apart the tired and useless mantra “calories in, calories out”, which doesn’t make sense in a world where two people’s blood glucose levels can be hugely different after eating the same slice of cake. 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 There’s a lot of science in the book to support my hypothesis. It’s for anyone who is interested in how we can improve our health and who wants to understand why we get disease and how to prevent it, so I have tried to make it easy to understand.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 the globalisation of our diets and lifestyles, our addiction to antibiotics, and the destruction of our environment. 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. 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. 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.” 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.

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. We compared these diets to those in Sub-Saharan Africa where rural communities have very high-fibre, plant-based diets. They eat meat very rarely, and when they do, it is very lean. They exercise a lot and live in social communities, where they farm together, cook together and share plates of food. So, they exchange and share microbes through lots of different routes. As a result, they have a much more diverse and resilient population of gut micro-organisms than we do. Books» Non-Fiction» Medicine» Other branches of medicine» Pathology» Medical microbiology & virologyI first understood what the microbiome was when I started my PhD in 2005 and it became obvious to me that this has to be an important part in the story of human health and happiness. These microbes are there for a reason, they're not there by accident. This is an evolutionary partnership, and if we're getting more cancer or chronic disease in the gut, they have to be part of the story. Microbes have been used as therapy and cancer treatment for hundreds of years – but they’ve been ignored by mainstream science. I knew the gut microbiome was important to our health and I wanted to focus my future career on understanding how. What role does diet play in the gut microbiome?