Dr James Kinross
Dr James Kinross brings the perspective of a practicing colorectal surgeon and microbiome researcher to health coverage, focusing on how the gut shapes overall wellbeing and disease risk. His work stands out for translating complex microbiome science into clear, practical guidance on gut health, diet and lifestyle, often framed through the real problems he sees in clinic and research. At The Telegraph he contributes expert-led features that explain what the microbiome does, how everyday habits affect it, and which gut trends and products merit caution.
Gut health and the microbiome
Kinross’s core subject is the gut microbiome and its role in health and disease. Across media appearances and written guides he describes the gut as a “command and control centre” for the immune system, positioning gut health as central to resilience against infection and chronic illness. He draws on his surgical and research background to explain how changes in microbiome composition link to conditions such as colorectal cancer and other so‑called western diseases. In interviews and talks on the “new science of the microbiome” and “dark matter and gut health” he breaks down emerging findings on microbial diversity, metabolism and immune regulation into plain language, highlighting both the promise and current limits of microbiome science. This emphasis on mechanism—what the microbes are doing, rather than just slogans about “gut health”—gives his coverage a more technical, research‑grounded character than general lifestyle reporting.
Diet, lifestyle and everyday guidance
A significant strand of Kinross’s output is practical advice on how to eat and live for a healthier gut, framed as step‑by‑step guidance that can be applied in daily routines. In pieces and interviews on “gut‑healthy days” he sets out specific patterns of meals, sleep, movement and stress management designed to support microbial diversity and stable digestion. Telegraph guides and related coverage on habits that “wreck” gut health and tips to improve it focus on concrete behaviours—such as extreme restriction diets, overuse of certain supplements, or erratic eating—that he sees driving pain, bloating and bowel dysfunction in patients. He tends to organise this material in lists of habits, pillars or tips, explaining for each what happens inside the gut and why the behaviour matters for symptoms, mood or immunity. The through‑line is that everyday choices—not obscure biohacks—are the levers that matter most, and that simple, consistent routines beat short‑term fixes.
Microbiome risks, testing and new therapies
Kinross is also a recurring voice on the risks, opportunities and ethical questions around new microbiome tools and treatments. In work on the future of microbiome research he discusses interventions such as faecal microbiota transplantation and other microbiome‑targeted therapies, setting out where evidence is strongest and where more trials are needed. He connects shifts in diet and environment to rising rates of colorectal cancer, arguing that microbiome disruption is one of the key pathways driving these trends and that prevention requires changing exposures rather than chasing quick fixes. In podcast episodes and media guides he examines commercial gut microbiome tests and probiotic regimes, questioning their utility for most people and warning against over‑interpreting incomplete data from consumer reports. This cautious stance on testing and products, combined with enthusiasm for well‑designed clinical research, positions his coverage as both optimistic about microbiome‑based medicine and clear‑eyed about current limitations.
Expert contributor and media presence
Kinross frequently appears as an invited expert across health platforms, which shapes the tone and format of his journalism‑adjacent work. In podcasts and broadcast segments he answers targeted questions on whether people should take microbiome tests, how probiotics fit into care, and how gut bacteria influence cravings, mood and immunity. Event talks and interviews frame him as a leading microbiome scientist and surgeon, and he uses these slots to advocate for evidence‑based approaches to nutrition and gut care rather than trend‑driven advice. At The Telegraph his pieces are structured as guides and explainers that integrate this clinical and research expertise, often combining patient cases, mechanistic explanation and simple behavioural recommendations in a single article. The consistent blend of frontline clinical experience, laboratory research and accessible prose makes his coverage particularly suited to stories that need a specialist microbiome perspective presented in clear, actionable terms.
4 more health journalists.
Alex Storey
Alex Storey is a journalist at LBC whose work is driven by specific cases that test professional conduct and accountability in health and the public sector. He covers health as his main beat, focusing on the point where individual decisions by clinicians or officials meet public trust in institutions. His reporting is incident-first and case-led, using concrete episodes to show how rules, ethics and policy work in real life. Recent pieces include a disciplinary case where a nurse was struck off after linking a patient’s cancer to Covid jabs, and coverage of civil servants being “paid to play Grand Theft Auto” as “lived experience” training. Across these stories, he examines how professionals, regulators and officials explain their decisions, and what that reveals about trust, responsibility and the standards expected of people in positions of authority.
Alexandra Thompson
Alexandra Thompson is an assistant news editor focused on health who treats health claims as hypotheses to be tested rather than messages to be repeated. She works at New Scientist, combining editing with frontline reporting on ageing brains, cognitive health, chronic illness, contested treatments and infectious disease. Her beat centres on how neuroscience and psychology intersect with everyday health choices and on how scientific findings translate into real-world outcomes for people living with illness. She examines lifestyle advice, rehabilitation programmes and outbreak guidance against current evidence, clarifying risk without overstating it and giving space to controversy without sensationalising it. Alongside written news she appears in audio and video formats, bringing the same clear, news-driven approach to live discussions and helping shape the daily health agenda while keeping a tight focus on evidence and impact.
Alice Wilkinson
Alice Wilkinson investigates how everyday habits, products and routines shape sleep and long-term wellbeing, using test-driven health features to separate hype from real benefit. She holds a senior role on The Telegraph’s health features team, writing and shaping consumer-focused coverage that blends personal trial with clear expert evidence. Her core beat is sleep as a practical, solvable part of daily life, from detailed comparisons of magnesium supplements to service pieces on how sleeping position affects health over time. She treats supplements as a crowded, over-claimed market that demands careful testing and clear-eyed reporting. Alongside long-form features she writes weekly health desk dispatches on sleep, stress and concentration. Across her work she combines substantial self-testing, specialist insight and plain, unfussy prose to give readers measurable, realistic changes they can make.
Ally Head
Ally Head connects performance-focused fitness reporting with women’s health, sustainability and relationships, using her own endurance training and health history to stress-test trends against expert guidance. She is Senior Health, Sustainability and Relationships Editor at Marie Claire UK, where she shapes the health agenda across training, wellbeing and conscious living and writes and commissions news, topical features and SEO-led long-form pieces. A ten-time marathoner and Boston-qualifying runner, she focuses on structured, realistic training plans, strength and conditioning for women who run, and performance longevity. Her women’s health work centres on hormones, chronic conditions and fact versus fiction wellness claims. She also covers sustainability as conscious living and relationships, mental resilience and lifestyle features, favouring plain language, lived experience, specialist commentary and clear, repeatable routines. She has previously produced similar content for Women’s Health, Stylist, Glamour and Grazia.