Read the second half of the sentence
14 September 2026
A trial found nothing, then found something in a slice of its participants. Both halves are true. Only one will travel
Read on Gut CheckGut Check · the newsletter
One claim, the actual papers, an honest read
An MD and biostatistician on how the gut microbiome shapes health and disease, and how to tell real evidence from hype. Free, and the sources are always linked so you can check the work.
I was too easy on TMAO
7 September 2026
My book called for a trial that raises the metabolite and watches what happens. Somebody ran it. Here is what I would change
Read on Gut CheckThe trial my book described, run by someone else
31 August 2026
I wrote that the faecal transplant results in melanoma could not carry the weight put on them. A Norwegian group has now run that trial and reported what they found
Read on Gut CheckThirteen trials in three weeks
24 August 2026
I set out to count the month's microbiome research. The count took an hour. Working out which studies were capable of answering a question took the rest of the day!
Read on Gut CheckThe molecule was missing; Giving it back made things worse
17 August 2026
A paper this month asked whether you can skip the bacteria and supply what they make. The answer is the most useful thing I have read all year
Read on Gut CheckThe trial I asked for has arrived
10 August 2026
I wrote in my book that the confirmatory Akkermansia trial did not exist yet. It does now, and the primary endpoint missed.
Read on Gut CheckThe newsletter grew out of the book. Half Human is the long version: seventeen chapters, every claim anchored to a paper, and where the evidence stops, the book stops.