If you read my piece ‘Importance of your gut for performance – What GCSE and A-Level Biology doesn’t tell you‘ and wanted to know more, Giulia Enders book is almost certainly the best place to start.

Giulia Enders is a doctoral student in Germany studying microbiology. She first came to prominence when a 10minute presentation she gave on the gut, won the Slam Prize and became an internet sensation. She followed this success by writing a book titled ‘Darm mit Charme: Alles über ein Unterschätztes Organ’ (Intestine with Charm: Everything about an underrated Organ) which became a massive best-seller in Germany. The book has now been translated into a number of different languages and is currently on the UKs best seller list.

Gut is factually very well researched and includes detailed referencing at the back but is not written like a science text and is just as easy to dip in and out of as it is to read in one go. I initially found the style slightly irritating but this doesn’t take away from the message and the subject is truly fascinating. After a while I found myself actually enjoying the imagery.

Research on the gut microbiome is incredibly new and more is being discovered all the time. ‘Gut’ gives a good overview of what we know for sure and what we are starting to guess might be true. It is incredibly clever at making the facts clear and dissociating what has been found in humans, from what we know from animal models, building a picture that underlines the importance of good gut health for every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

The amazing thing about ‘Gut’ is the incredible number of little things I learnt and didn’t know before. None are going to radically change my life but I will never be able to think about digestion in quite the same way again, I will never be truly happy with my chopping board or kitchen spray and find myself thinking about Giulia’s words of wisdom frequently. This is a book we should all read.