Chapters
Take the gut check and we will sort the chapters by relevance for you.
Microbial diversity
Why many different species keep the gut stable. 6 chapters – expand
- Level:Expert Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and body weight Does your gut microbiota make you fat? What is behind the much-quoted bacterial ratio. Body weightPlant diversityTests and diagnostics Plausible How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open.
- Level:Beginner Intermittent fasting and meal timing: 16:8, 5:2 and Ramadan What happens in the gut between meals, what studies on eating windows show, and why the time of day might matter. FastingSleepBody weight Plausible How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open.
- Level:Expert The second-meal effect: why dinner helps decide your blood sugar in the morning Lentils at breakfast lower blood sugar at lunch, whole barley kernels in the evening lower it at breakfast. How this works, and what role gut bacteria play. FibreShort-chain fatty acidsBlood sugarBody weight Promising How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open.
- Level:Expert GLP-1 from the gut: what bacteria do and what “natural Ozempic” cannot do Weight-loss injections mimic a hormone that your own gut wall also makes, stimulated among other things by bacteria. How this pathway works and why it does not have the same effect as the drug. Short-chain fatty acidsFibreBody weightBlood sugar Promising How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open.
- Level:Intermediate Carnivore and keto: less gas, but at what cost? Why many people feel less bloated on an all-meat or ketogenic diet, what this does to gut bacteria, and why experts do not recommend it for gut health. FibreShort-chain fatty acidsPlant diversityBloatingBody weight Promising How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open. Community
- Level:Intermediate What a household shares: microbes between people, dogs and cats People who live together swap bacteria constantly: through hands, kitchen, bathroom, kisses and the animal on the sofa. What studies on shared bacterial strains show, what is useful about it, which pathogens and resistant bacteria really do get passed on, and why shared bacteria are not proof of transmission. Gut infectionsAntibiotic resistanceMouth and teethAllergiesAntibioticsBody weight Promising How we rate the evidence Established Recommended in medical guidelines or supported by several consistent meta-analyses of randomised human studies. Well supported Several randomised studies in humans with largely consistent results. Promising Single randomised or controlled studies in humans, not yet independently confirmed — or many consistent observational studies. Plausible Two cases: first observational or pilot studies with small samples — or a settled basis that is not in dispute, such as movement, sleep or meal pauses. But not tested in humans for symptoms. Experimental Barely studied in humans. Mainly lab and animal studies or theoretical reasoning; whether it helps is open.