Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome

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More and more we are learning about the importance of our gut, Kinross takes the even more complex science of microbiome and explains in a way that is easy to understand.

To get the balance right between being entertained and learning complex information about the gut microbiome concurrently is quite some skill and J Kinross has got this balance just right. This not only promotes inflammation and sensitises us to a poor diet, but our microbiomes are less resilient and diverse. Kinross has a knack for breaking down complicated scientific concepts into digestible information, making it accessible to readers of all backgrounds.We compared these diets to those in Sub-Saharan Africa where rural communities have very high-fibre, plant-based diets. As someone with a PhD in Biotechnology, I can confidently say that "Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome" by James Kinross is a fantastic read that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in health and well-being.

Kinross, a world-leading microbiome scientist and surgeon, offers a wealth of relevant insights drawn from his personal experience and over two decades in the field. I was keen to bring together all the ongoing work in microbiome science because it creates such a compelling argument for taking it seriously.Dr James Kinross a Consultant surgeon specialising in the gut microbiome at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has published a new book, Dark Matter. That has happened over a very short timeframe and the reason for that is not just about diet and food. I mean, in developing countries, climate change does not even make the list of the top 100 concerns of its citizenry. I thoroughly recommend this well-written book to anyone not afraid of something moderately academic.

He also drops this quote, which seems to contradict itself as it goes, unless I am missing something. Now, I am a huge proponent of human progress, civilization, and modernity; however, all this progress has not come without its costs. Mass health conditions now making optimal health care unaffordable even in the richest societies are preventable, mostly at vastly lower cost. 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.Author James Kinross is a senior lecturer in colorectal surgery and consultant surgeon at Imperial College London and a visiting professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. the book explains the role of micro-organisms in our bodies and the impact on our health of their imbalance in our system and the world around us. Information about gut health is decent but it leans too heavily about climate change, Covid and other political views of which i think are biased (in my opinion) and feel as though the book fits a certain narrative that I respectfully disagree with completely. The global pandemic of non-infectious diseases is, arguably, a greater threat to humanity than that caused by any communicable disease. 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.

For the best part of two decades I have sampled the microbiomes of generous patients undergoing surgery in theatre number three, in my quest to find answers to these questions. There are easier and better reads on the microbiome for those who are new to the area, and if you want more detail, they are plenty of decent reviews which are more comprehensive. Whether you're a health professional, a young parent, or simply someone interested in the future of healthcare, this book is a must-read. The microscopic life forms that preside over our health and wellness are increasingly frustrated with the mistreatment inflicted upon them by hyperglobalization – and they have a formidable molecular arsenal with which they are demonstrating their displeasure. Fortunately, despite my complaints above, the book did actually contain quite a lot of interesting writing.See Alex Epstein's The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels for a deep dive, and Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress; as well. Fascinating throughout, on occasions a little complex to get your head around but a comprehensive wealth of well explained info around the importance of and interactions between the trillions of microbiota in the gut.