Science. 2015 Dec 4;350(6265):1214-1215.
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- 1School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork T12 Y337, Ireland. pwotoole@ucc.ie.
- 2School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork T12 Y337, Ireland.
Abstract
The
potential for the gut microbiota to affect health has a particular
relevance for older individuals. This is because the microbiota may
modulate aging-related changes in innate immunity, sarcopaenia, and
cognitive function, all of which are elements of frailty. Both cell
culture-dependent and -independent studies show that the gut microbiota
of older people differs from that of younger adults. There is no
chronological threshold or age at which the composition of the
microbiota suddenly alters; rather, changes occur gradually with time.
Our detailed analyses have separated the microbiota into groups
associated with age, long-term residential care, habitual diet, and
degree of retention of a core microbiome. We are beginning to understand
how these groups change with aging and how they relate to clinical
phenotypes. These data provide a framework for analyzing
microbiota-health associations, distinguishing correlation from
causation, identifying microbiota interaction with physiological aging
processes, and developing microbiota-based health surveillance for older
adults.
Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
