Tim Spector

At a glance

• Tim Spector is a British physician, epidemiologist and science writer. He is professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of the nutrition company ZOE.
• In 1992 he founded TwinsUK, one of the world’s largest twin registries, used to study how much of health is shaped by genes and how much by environment.
• His focus later shifted to the gut microbiome and diet, including through the British Gut Project.
• During the pandemic he led the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, which had millions of users and helped show that loss of smell and taste was a key symptom.
• His books The Diet Myth (2015), Spoon-Fed (2020) and Food for Life (2022) argue for a varied, plant-rich, high-fibre diet with fermented foods and little ultra-processed food. Critics point to ZOE’s commercial interests.
• For longevity, he matters because he put the gut microbiome on the map for a wide audience.
• Takeaway: aim to eat around 30 different plant foods each week, counting herbs, nuts, seeds and legumes.