My friend Emma lent me Follow Your Gut by Rob Knight a few months ago & I finally got around to reading it towards the end of last year.
I’m always interested in wellbeing but gut health was something I knew little about.
I didn’t even know what microbes were, let alone that I have 100 trillion of them in and on my body but after reading this book, I feel just that little bit smarter…
What’s the book about?
It’s a short breakdown of what the microbiome is all about & how it can be linked to certain chronic conditions.
At only 96 pages, it’s only the tip of the iceberg in gut health.
But it’s a great introduction to the world of microbes with straight forward explanations and illustrations to help you understand all the complicated scientific details.
What did I think?
Backed up with scientific evidence, it’s hard to argue with the book’s content.
And in my opinion, it’s the perfect time to get to grips with gut health – there are plenty of things about it in the media at the moment.
The book discusses the effect of gut microbes on physical illness, but also the role they could play in treating depression, anxiety and autism – it’s a really fascinating insight into the human body.
Rob Knight also discusses antibiotics and the growing resistance to them – something that’s currently popping up in the news as a worldwide issue.
With short, snappy chapters that don’t leave you feeling like a dummy, this book is a great way to learn more about how the body works and the potential for new treatments in the world of medicine.
Why it matters
Scientists are developing innovative medicinal techniques, based on microbial environments, as I type this post.
I recently read an article on The Guardian about Mel Graves, a scientist who has studied childhood leukaemia for 30 years.
He suggests that the disease is partly caused by a deficiency in the child’s immune system and all those tiny microbes within it.
Graves notes that the disease is more common in developed countries and can be linked to our lack of contact with nature – something that Rob Knight also explores in Follow Your Gut.
Without our exposure to certain bacteria, our immune systems are not given a chance to build themselves up.
Graves’ approach is to develop a yoghurt like drink that can introduce the right combination of microbes to a child’s immune system – something that will be interesting to watch out for in the future.
Final verdict
Follow Your Gut is a really interesting read.
If you want to know more about gut health but don’t know where to start, this is the book for you.
5/5 stars
Allie x
Allie Morgan - Writer & Cancer Survivor 