Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome

Product Information

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. The scale of the task is immense. The bacteria in the gut alone weigh close to 1.5 kg, they’re made up of about 100,000,000,000,000 bacterial cells (that’s 100 trillion) – equivalent in number to the total number of cells that make up the human body – and they speak millions of different molecular languages. Another major challenge in studying the microbiome is its physical distribution. The micro- biome is dispersed across our bodies in different niches, each with varying total abundances of microbes. Being clear about our anatomical definitions is important.

While an FMT might be a new idea to many of us today, the medical practice of faecal transplant is ancient, and it has been drunk as “yellow soup” since the 4th century AD for the treatment of infective diarrhoea. In 1958 an innovative surgeon, Dr Ben Eiseman, administered faecal enemas to his patients in Denver, Colorado, with severe and recurrent C diff infections. It was remarkably effective, but like all important medical discoveries, this intervention was largely ignored at the time of its first report. Eat more omega 3 New research suggests a relationship between gut microbes, omega 3 and brain health We are also running a long-term study to help us understand the evolution of the microbiome in very early life and its importance for influencing your risk of disease later in life. This involves following two cohorts of children from birth and studying how their gut microbiome evolves as they grow up in varying circumstances. What prompted you to write your book, Dark Matter? In summary, "Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome" is an enlightening and invaluable resource that I would highly recommend. Whether you're a health professional, a young parent, or simply someone interested in the future of healthcare, this book is a must-read.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. 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. 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

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 a brave new world in science - the microbiome - and how it could save our health. 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. Our gut microbiome is being badly damaged in our early lives. This not only promotes inflammation and sensitises us to a poor diet, but our microbiomes are less resilient and diverse. That’s why at a population level we’re seeing alarming increases in the risk of colorectal cancer, asthma, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic conditions. A spellbinding explanation of microbiology that will help you get to the bottom of health and happiness -- John Vincent, Co-Founder of Leon

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? A very small Italian study using a similar commercial probiotic, Sivomixx, piqued his interest after it suggested acute Covid patients treated with it might be less likely to end up in ICU or to die, and eight times less likely to suffer respiratory failure. Bjarnason is hoping to start a larger study in the next few months.

Eat more fibre Most of us eat only half the recommended 30g a day. But start slowly – our guts don’t like rapid change A fountain of knowledge and sense in an overwhelming world of science Rhiannon Lambert, Registered Nutritionist and Sunday Times Bestselling AuthorWith dazzling science and fascinating stories spanning from the dawn of humankind to the current race to develop personalised healthcare, and practical advice on how to nurture your microbiome through your diet and lifestyle, this pioneering book will change the way you think about human health forever. 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. 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.” I was keen to bring together all the work going on in microbiome science, because it creates such a compelling argument for taking it seriously. It’s not just about the gut: it’s about the human microbiome.