Faecal Attraction: 40 Years of Research in Gut Microbiology.

Abstract

This article summarises the 2025 British Nutrition Foundation Annual Lecture given on 25/11/25. It overviews aspects of research in anaerobic microbiology, principally involving the human gut. Until October 2025, Gibson was Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Reading. His research investigated gut microbiome interactions and dietary intervention. The latter included human studies in healthy persons, patients with gut-related disorders, at-risk populations and specialist groups like sportspersons and those in the military. Initial principles such as the type of intervention, dose, duration and outcomes were tested using in vitro models of the human gut.