Category: Ageing

Categories : Ageing Cardiovascular Disease Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

Mitochondria Dump DNA into Cells, Triggering Inflammation

On By ModernMedia

Researchers have discovered that when building blocks for DNA in cells are in short supply, mitochondria— the powerhouses of cells — release their own DNA, triggering an inflammatory response. Targeting this process can now open up new avenues of treatment into ageing-related diseases.

Mitochondria, the producers of energy for cells, , have their own genetic material: mitochondrial DNA. In certain situations, however, mitochondria are known to release their DNA into the interior of the cell, provoking a reaction from the cell’s own immune system. Some cardiac and neurodegenerative diseases as well as the ageing process are associated with the mitochondrial genome.

To find out when mitochondria release their DNA, the researchers have focused on the mitochondrial protein YME1L. “In cells lacking YME1L, we observed the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cell interior and a related immune response in the cells,” explained Thomas MacVicar, one of the study’s two first authors.  
“If the cells lack YME1L, there is a deficiency of DNA building blocks inside the cell,” he continued. “This deficiency triggers the release of mitochondrial DNA, which in turn causes an inflammatory response in the cell: the cell stimulates similar inflammatory reactions as it does during a bacterial or viral infection. If we add DNA building blocks to the cells from the outside, that also stops the inflammation.”

This newly discovered link between cellular inflammatory response and the metabolism of DNA building blocks could have far-reaching consequences, MacVicar explained. “Some viral inhibitors stop the production of certain DNA building blocks, thereby triggering an inflammatory response. The release of mitochondrial DNA could be a crucial factor in this, contributing to the effect of these inhibitors,” he said. 
Mitochondrial DNA is associated with a number of ageing-associated inflammatory diseases, including cardiac and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as obesity and cancer. The authors hope that new therapeutic opportunities in such diseases can be created by modulating the metabolism of DNA building blocks.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Hans-Georg Sprenger et al, Cellular pyrimidine imbalance triggers mitochondrial DNA–dependent innate immunity, Nature Metabolism (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s42255-021-00385-9

Categories : Ageing Pain ManagementTags :

Cannabis Use Screening in Older People Urged

On By ModernMedia
Cannabis plants. Photo by Harrison Haines from Pexels

Older people who use cannabis to relieve or treat health conditions generally don’t discuss their substance use with doctors, according to a new study. 

In this study of over 17 000 people aged 50 and over in the US, some use cannabis daily and others have mental health problems. The findings were published in peer-reviewed The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

The research is the first to identify where older users obtain cannabis, with the majority saying obtaining it was easy. Those who use cannabis for health reasons are more likely than non-medical (recreational) users to buy it at a medical dispensary (20% vs 5%) and less likely to get it for free (25% vs 46%) or from other sources such as parties (49% vs 56%).

According to the authors, the findings have significant clinical and policy implications especially as more US states are legalising cannabis, which is leading to a rapid rise in uptake among older people. This has implications for other countries such as South Africa, which has recently decriminalised it for personal use.

They urge that doctors should be routinely screening older people for cannabis and other substance use, as well as checking cannabis users for mental health problems, and recommending treatment when necessary. They add that education on the risks of obtaining cannabis and cannabis products from unregulated sources is also vital for this group.

“Cannabis is readily available and accessible to older cannabis users for medical or non-medical purposes,” said Namkee G Choi from University of Texas.

“The findings suggest that some medical users may be self-treating without healthcare professional consultation.

“All older people who take cannabis should consult healthcare professionals about their use. As part of routine care, healthcare professionals should screen for cannabis and other substance use, and for mental health problems.

“They should also recommend services or treatment when indicated. Given the increase in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) potency, healthcare professionals should educate older cannabis users, especially high-frequency users, on potential safety issues and adverse effects.”

THC content has increased significantly over the past decades. Since 1995, the potency of illicit cannabis plant material seized in the US has consistently increased over time, from approximately 4% in 1995 to approximately 12% in 2014. Among older US adults, cannabis has more than doubled between 2008 and 2019. Reasons include pain relief and treating health issues. However, not much is known about where they obtain cannabis and how much they discuss their use with doctors.

Data for the research was drawn responses from the 2018 and 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), with 17 685 men and women aged 50 and older. This annual national survey measures substance use and misuse and mental illness across the US.

The researchers analysed responses including those on frequency of cannabis use, reasons for taking it, where it was obtained, and how much they utilised healthcare services.

The study found that, overall, 9% used cannabis over the past year and of these, 19% used cannabis for a medical purpose to some extent, eg, to treat chronic pain, depression or diseases like arthritis, while the rest (81%) were recreational (non-medical) users.

The authors also found that people who reported cannabis use as being for medical reasons were over four times as likely than non-medical users to discuss their use with a healthcare professional. Nevertheless, only a minority of medical users did so, which implies that some are self-treating without consulting a doctor.

Medical users were also more likely than non-medical users to more frequently take cannabis, with 40% using it between 200 and 365 days a year.

A higher proportion of older cannabis users had mental illness, alcohol use disorder, and nicotine dependence compared with non-users of the same age, although medical users were less likely to have alcohol problems compared to recreational users.

As well as calling on doctors to do more, the study authors say the NSDUH needs updating to “reflect changing cannabis product commercialization”, such as including products available to older people like cannabidiols, topical solutions and edibles.

Limitations of the study included the relatively small number of medical users and the fact some respondents may have under-reported their cannabis and other substance use.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1 … 0952990.2021.1908318

Categories : Ageing Cancer Mental HealthTags :

Loneliness in Middle-aged Men Tied to Cancer Risk

On By ModernMedia
Older man sitting alone on beach. Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland shows that loneliness among middle-aged men is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world, and in high-income countries it has become the main cause. Recent scientific evidence demonstrates that stress plays a positive role in cancer initiation, progression and cancer metastasis, as well as a negative role for anti-tumor immune function and therapy response.

“It has been estimated, on the basis of studies carried out in recent years, that loneliness could be as significant a health risk as smoking or overweight. Our findings support the idea that attention should be paid to this issue,” said project researcher Siiri-Liisi Kraav from the University of Eastern Finland.

The study was launched in the 1980s with middle-aged men from eastern Finland participating. To avoid reverse causality, individuals who already had a cancer diagnosis or received a cancer diagnosis within two years after the baseline data collection were excluded from the analysis. The  2570 eligible participants had their health and mortality monitored on the basis of register data through to the present. Follow-up lasted an average of 20.44 years, and the average age of cancer diagnosis was 69.96 years.
Factors accounted for included age, socio-economic status, lifestyle, sleep quality, depression symptoms, body mass index, heart disease and other risk factors.

During the follow-up, 649 men (25% of participants) developed cancer, and 283 men (11%) died of cancer. Loneliness was associated with a roughlt 10% increased cancer risk. In addition, cancer mortality was higher in cancer patients who were unmarried, widowed or divorced at baseline.
Based on these results, the researchers recommended that consideration of loneliness and social relationships should be an important part of comprehensive health care and disease prevention. The findings were published in Psychiatry Research.

“Awareness of the health effects of loneliness is constantly increasing. Therefore, it is important to examine, in more detail, the mechanisms by which loneliness causes adverse health effects. This information would enable us to better alleviate loneliness and the harm caused by it, as well as to find optimal ways to target preventive measures,” concluded Kraav.

Source: University of Eastern Finland

Journal information: Kraav, S., Lehto, S.M., Kauhanen, J., Hantunen, S., Tolmunen, T., 2021. Loneliness and social isolation increase cancer incidence in a cohort of Finnish middle-aged men. A longitudinal study. Psychiatry Research: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113868

Categories : AgeingTags :

Dermal Fillers Can Provide Minor Facelifts

On By ModernMedia

A new study using 3D imaging shows that dermal fillers can also provide some ‘lifting’ effects, as well as their normal ‘volumising’ effects in facial rejuvenation therapy. 

Dermal fillers are ranked second of the top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures, behind botulinum toxin injections. While dermal fillers have been increasing in popularity, plastic surgeons are trying to work out the best application for facial rejuvenation without surgery. Most studies have used subjective rating systems with little generalisability as a result.

The results of a recent study showed that in addition to ‘volumising’ effects, dermal fillers may also have variable ‘lifting’ effects. Sebastian Cotofana, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic,and colleagues came up with a study to measure the true lifting effect of soft tissue fillers.

In this experimental study, the researchers performed standardised dermal filler injections in facial cadaver specimens, in the areas commonly targeted for facial rejuvenation: the forehead and temple; the midface region, including both the medial (central) and the lateral (sides) areas; and around the mouth and jawline.

Dr Cotofana and colleagues performed before-and-after 3D scans of the facial surface to measure the effects of the injections. 

Dermal filler injections showed significant increases in local soft tissue volume in central areas of the face, consistent with the well-established clinical effects of ‘injectable’ treatment in the forehead, midface, and mouth and chin areas.

Local lifting effects were also seen from central facial injections, with up to one millimetre of vertical ‘lift’ in the forehead area, but this was not seen in the other facial areas.

Injections in lateral facial areas such as the jawline also resulted in local volumising and lifting effects. These lateral facial injections also created ‘additional regional lifting effects’ in neighbouring facial areas. Temple injections resulted in a small but significant lifting effect on the lateral midface and jawline, for example.

Combined injection techniques provided even greater benefits. Added to deep filler injection, a superficial temple injection technique produced an additional 17.5% increase in the lifting effect of the temple, plus a 100% increase in the jawline lifting effect.

“These results indicate that lateral face injections co-influence adjacent lateral facial regions and can thus induce regional lifting effects,” wrote Dr Cotofana and coauthors. The results are consistent with previous knowledge of the in-depth anatomy of the face: filler injections may lead to a change in tension of the connective tissue (fascia) under the skin, resulting in “re-positioning” of the upper skin layers.

In this way, filler injections can provide a small but significant lifting effect in a minimally invasive, repeatable procedure, although they are not as effective as plastic surgery. Besides providing confirmation on previous findings on the lifting effects of facial injectables, the study also “broadens their applicability to the total lateral face…to achieve local and regional lifting effects.”

Source: News-Medical.Net
Journal information: Haidar, R., et al. (2021) Quantitative Analysis of the Lifting Effect of Facial Soft-Tissue Filler Injections. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000007857.

Categories : AgeingTags :

Leg Motion Can Protect Against Leg Swelling in the Elderly

On By ModernMedia

A study from Kanazawa University in Japan has shown that leg swelling can be reduced in the elderly as the muscle pumping action of the leg is as effective in people of all ages.

Chronic lower-limb oedema (CLO) — the permanent accumulation of fluid in the leg — often occurs in elderly people. The condition leads to various physical and mental problems, including difficulty in walking or moving, fatigue and anxiety. Lack of physical activity, associated with a decrease in muscle pump action is one of the causes of CLO.

Leg muscles can act as a blood pump: when contracted, the muscle squeezes veins together, forcing blood to flow. But it was not known whether muscle pump action changes as people age had not been thoroughly investigated. Now, Junko Sugama from Kanazawa University and colleagues have addressed this issue. In addition, they studied the effect of leg posture on the muscle pump action.

For their study, the researchers recruited 76 healthy volunteers, categorised into young, middle-aged and old, with average ages of 24, 47 and 72 years, respectively. To investigate blood flow and visualise the morphology of muscles and veins at a given position along the leg, the researchers used MRI cross-section images at 21 positions in the calf region.

To assess the effect of leg motion, subjects were asked to perform plantar flexion (pointing the foot downwards) every 2 seconds for a minute, and MRI images were taken before and after the exercise. This procedure was repeated over three different body positions: supine, sitting and standing.

The scientists found that for all postures, blood flow increased after the exercise, implying that the latter promotes muscle pump action. The blood flow velocity was observed to increase most for the standing posture (90-135%), followed by the supine (55-90%) and sitting (30-40%) postures. No age difference was seen in the flow changes, however the elderly patients had exercise habits, the researchers pointed out.

The researchers suggested that nurse measurement of muscle pump action is useful for deciding whether intervention exercise is necessary to prevent CLO but an easier measurement tool than MRI is needed.

Additional studies are needed, such as adapting the measurement equipment so that it can be applied to elderly people with reduced mobility. The scientists nevertheless concluded that for their set of subjects, “no difference was found in the changes in muscle pump action with age”, and that “elderly people may be able to maintain their muscle pump action when they have exercise habits”.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal reference: Fujii, T., et al. (2021) Gravity magnetic resonance imaging measurement of muscle pump change accompanied by aging and posture. Japan Journal of Nursing Science. doi.org/10.1111/jjns.12407.

Categories : Ageing ImmunologyTags :

Study Shows That Viral Infections Affect Immune System like Ageing

On By ModernMedia


A study from the Buck Institute and Stanford University suggests that chronic viral infections leave an impact on the human immune system, similar to those seen during ageing.

Using systems immunology and artificial intelligence, researchers profiled and compared immune responses in a cohort of aging individuals, people with HIV on long-term antiretroviral therapy, and people infected with hepatitis C (HCV) before and after the virus was treated with sofosbuvir, a drug with a 97% cure rate. Shared immune system alterations include T cell memory inflation, upregulation of intracellular signaling pathways of inflammation, and diminished sensitivity to cytokines in lymphocytes and myeloid cells.

“Chronic inflammation stemming from immune system dysfunction is associated with many of the diseases of ageing,” said senior author David Furman, PhD, Buck Institute associate professor. “Whether chronic viral infection contributes to age-associated immune dysfunction is still an open question, but studies of this type provide a way to start getting answers. At this point it’s clear that both ageing and chronic viral infections leave profound and indelible marks on immunity.”

The body is normally able to clean out acute viral infections, such as the common cold. But some viruses besides just HIV and HCV can remain alive, setting up ‘host-parasite housekeeping’ in the body, without people’s awareness. Dr Furman said that, depending on geographic location, 70 to 90% of the population is infected with cytomegalovirus. In healthy people, this is harmless and problematic only for pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems. Various herpes viruses can also lead to chronic infections.

“Each of us has our own virome; it’s the collection of the viral infections you have during your lifespan,” Furman said. “You probably have been infected by 12 or 15, or even more viruses that you never knew you had. Fortunately technology now exists that allows us to profile these infections in the human population; it is helping us move these types of inquiries forward.” Dr He said this study is the first to fully incorporate the concept of systems immunology, holistically analysing the immune system with the same technological platforms across different cohorts of patients.

The study demonstrated that in patients with HIV, immune system dysregulations were evident despite having been on antiretrovirals for over ten years. However, clearing the HCV virus partially restored cellular sensitivity to interferon-a, which inhibits viral replication. “This plasticity means there is room for intervention in both chronic viral infections and in ageing,” said Dr Furman. “It’s just a matter of identifying and understanding the molecular pathways and networks involved.” The study also identified changes in STAT1, the primary transcription factor activated by interferons. STAT1 plays a major role in normal immune responses, particularly to viral, mycobacterial and fungal pathogens.

As for COVID, Dr Furman said that we are in the midst of an ongoing “living” experiment. Future studies are needed to determine whether the functional imprinting of the immune system is hardwired to only involve the chronic nature of specific infections, or whether short but vigorous ones such as COVID also leave a lasting mark on the immune system. “Has the immune system of those infected with the coronavirus taken a big hit? That’s a theory, but we don’t know what will happen,” says Furman, who is collaborating with Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco on projects involving COVID-19 and immunity.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Cesar J. Lopez Angel et al., “Signatures of immune dysfunction in HIV and HCV infection share features with chronic inflammation in aging and persist after viral reduction or elimination,” PNAS (2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2022928118

Categories : AgeingTags :

‘Feed-forward’ Loop in Cartilage Cells Worsens Osteoarthritis

On By ModernMedia


An unfortunate ‘feed-forward’ loop in cartilage cells appears to exacerbate arthritis, according to researchers Duke University and Washington University in Saint Louis.

Cartilage resists compressive forces, enhances bone resilience, and provides support on bony areas where there is a need for flexibility. In osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis,  the cartilage breaks down, allowing painful bone-on-bone contact. Osteoarthritis is the and affects millions of people worldwide with joint pain and stiffness. It is most commonly found in the knees, hips and spine.  

Chondrocytes build and maintain cartilage, with force-sensitive ion channels on their surface, which are called Piezo1 and Piezo2. Piezo channels respond to mechanical loads on the joint by sending signals into the cell that can change gene activity.

In osteoarthritis, degeneration and malfunction of chondrocytes, which are unable to repair themselves by division, contributes to the progressive breakdown of cartilage. Osteoarthritis is als marked by chronic, low-grade inflammation, driven by interleukin-1 alpha, a signalling molecule. Taking cartilage cells from pigs and from human joints removed for replacement surgeries, the researchers investigated the way inflammation affects chondrocytes.

The researchers found that interleukin signaling causes the chondrocytes to produce more Piezo channels, in turn increasing their sensitivity to pressure and resulting in what the researchers term a harmful ‘feed-forward’ loop that leads to further cartilage breakdown.

“Interleukin reprograms the chondrocytes so that they’re more sensitive to mechanical trauma,” Liedtke said. “The feed-forward cycle slowly grinds them down and the cell cannot be replaced.”

Liedtke likened healthy chondrocyte to “a tennis ball”, a bouncy sphere which is kept stiff by its internal matrix of actin fibres. But as these cells lose their ability to replace actin fibres, “they get softer, more squishy.”

However, more Piezo channels were created as the chondrocytes became squishier.

“Overexpressed Piezo channels render the inflamed chondrocyte hypersensitive to mechanical microtrauma, thus increasing the risk of mechanically-induced chondrocyte injury and subsequent progression of osteoarthritis,” said  first and co-corresponding author and biomedical engineer, Whasil Lee, who moved from the Liedtke-Lab to open her own laboratory at the University of Rochester

“It’s cartilage reprogramming itself to do more damage,” Liedtke said.

To confirm this relationship, the researchers blocked the activity of the Piezo channels and observed that the ‘squishiness’ of chondrocytes was reverted.

“We have known that mechanical loading of the joint is essential for maintaining cartilage health,” Guilak said. “In this study, we have uncovered a mechanism by which excessive loading under inflammatory conditions can create a situation that can lead to progressive cartilage degeneration.”

“We’re always looking for feed-forward mechanisms as facilitators of chronic disease,” Liedtke said. “Here we found one, which opens the door for us to come up with disease-modifying treatments, currently non-existent for osteoarthritis.”

Source: Duke University

Journal information: “Inflammatory Signaling Sensitizes Piezo1 Mechanotransduction in Articular Chondrocytes as a Pathogenic Feed-Forward Mechanism in Osteoarthritis,” Whasil Lee, et al. PNAS, March 22, 2021, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001611118

Categories : AgeingTags :

Telomere Lengthening May Treat Renal Fibrosis

On By ModernMedia

A new study has shown that it may be possible to treat renal fibrosis, an age-related disease, by lengthening telomeres.

Previous research had shown it was that lengthening telomeres successfully treated pulmonary fibrosis and infarctions in mice.

Renal fibrosis is the leading cause of kidney failure, treatable only with dialysis. Moderate renal fibrosis is present in some 11% of people over 65, and is a predictor of the severity of renal failure. Telomeres are proteins at the end of chromosomes that maintain genetic integrity during cellular division. They shorten over time, eventually to the point where they are too short for cells to divide, becoming senescent. Telomere lengthening, eg through hyperbaric oxygen therapy, has been suggested as a way to reverse many age-related declines.

While short telomeres were by themselves not enough to cause renal fibrosis, the researchers found that mice with short telomeres developed it when they were exposed to small amounts of toxin, mimicking the environmental toxins people are exposed to over their lives. Mice that also lacked a certain protein needed for telomere function, Trf1, developed renal fibrosis, showing that telomeres are indeed involved in proper kidney function.

Since genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition are overexpressed in patients with kidney failure, the researchers looked for this in mice with short telomeres. And “we found that short telomeres induce changes in the expression of genes involved in EMT.”

As a final demonstration of the importance of telomeres in kidney fibrosis, the authors cultured kidney cells in which they expressed the gene for the telomerase enzyme, which elongates telomeres. In these cells with restored telomeres, the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition program returned to normal, and the cells regained their healthy, pre-fibrosis appearance.

“As short telomeres accumulate with ageing in the organism, it is tempting to speculate that pathological EMT programmes associated with ageing, such as cancer and different types of tissue fibrosis, may be originated at least in part by the presence of short telomeres,” the authors conclude.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Categories : Ageing NeurologyTags :

Jump-Starting Neural Stem Cells in Aged Brains

On By ModernMedia

As we age, neural stem cells lose the ability to divide and create new neurons, resulting in a decline in memory. Now, research led by Sebastian Jessberger, a professor at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich, explains why this happens.

The new neurons are used all over the brain, including the hippocampus which is responsible for memory. Declines here from age and Alzheimer’s mean fewer neurons are produced here, impacting memory functions.

“As we get older, stem cells throughout the body gradually lose their ability to proliferate. Using genetic engineering and cutting-edge microscope technology, we were able to identify a mechanism that is associated with this process,” explained doctoral candidate and first author Khadeesh bin Imtiaz. The results were published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

The study used a mouse model to show that as organisms age, neurons’ ability to divide becomes impaired. Protein structures ensure that accumulated harmful proteins are laid out unequally among the two daughter neurons, important for the longevity of neurons. As the neurons age, the amount of nucleic proteins changes, resulting in impaired distribution of proteins, reducing the number of newly generated neurons in the brains of older mice.

The researchers identified a nuclear protein called lamin B1, levels of which decrease as people age. When lamin B1 was increased in aged mice, there was an improvement in stem cell division and the number of neurons increased.

The study was part of wider research into ageing and stem cells. “While our study was limited to brain stem cells, similar mechanisms are likely to play a key role when it comes to the ageing process of other stem cells,” said Prof Jessberger.

The latest findings represent an important step in understanding how brain stem cells change with age. “We now know that we can reactivate aging stem cells in the brain. Our hope is that these findings will one day help increase levels of neurogenesis, for example in older people or those suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Even if this may still be many years in the future,” concluded Prof Jessberger.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Cell Stem Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.01.015

Categories : Ageing GastrointestinalTags :

Gut Microbiome Changes are Linked to Ageing and Longevity

On By ModernMedia

Ageing in humans is marked by compositional changes in the gut microbiome that become more unique later in life.

Researchers from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) analysed gut microbiome, phenotypic and clinical data from over 9000 people across three independent cohorts. Health and survival outcomes were tracked from longitudinal data from a cohort of over 900 community-dwelling older individuals (78-98 years old).

The researchers found that, starting in mid-to-late adulthood, gut microbiomes became increasingly unique as individuals aged, corresponding with a steady decline in the abundance of core bacterial genera common across humans.

Strikingly, while microbiomes became increasingly unique to each individual in healthy aging, the metabolic functions the microbiomes were carrying out shared common traits. Gut microbiome uniqueness was highly correlated with several microbially-derived metabolites in blood plasma. One of them, tryptophan-derived indole, has been shown to extend lifespan in mice. Another metabolite, phenylacetylglutamine, showed the strongest association with uniqueness, and is known to be highly elevated in the blood of people over 100.

“This uniqueness signature can predict patient survival in the latest decades of life,” said study leader Dr Tomasz Wilmanski, who led the study. Healthy individuals aged around 80 showed continued microbial drift toward a uniqueness, but this drift was not seen in less healthy individuals of the same age.

“Interestingly, this uniqueness pattern appears to start in mid-life—40-50 years old—and is associated with a clear blood metabolomic signature, suggesting that these microbiome changes may not simply be diagnostic of healthy aging, but that they may also contribute directly to health as we age,” Wilmanski said. Indoles are known to reduce inflammation in the gut, for example, and chronic inflammation is believed to drive age-related morbidities.

“Prior results in microbiome-aging research appear inconsistent, with some reports showing a decline in core gut genera in centenarian populations, while others show relative stability of the microbiome up until the onset of aging-related declines in health,” said co-corresponding author, microbiome specialist Dr Sean Gibbons. “Our work, which is the first to incorporate a detailed analysis of health and survival, may resolve these inconsistencies. Specifically, we show two distinct aging trajectories: (1) a decline in core microbes and an accompanying rise in uniqueness in healthier individuals, consistent with prior results in community-dwelling centenarians, and (2) the maintenance of core microbes in less healthy individuals.”

This analysis highlights the fact that the adult gut microbiome continues to develop with advanced age in healthy individuals, but not in unhealthy ones, and that microbiome compositions associated with health in early-to-mid adulthood may not be compatible with health in late adulthood.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Gut microbiome pattern reflects healthy ageing and predicts survival in humans, Nature Metabolism (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s42255-021-00348-0