Question 355 of 433
What is the microbiome, and does it affect aging?
The short answer
It is the trillions of bacteria living in your gut. They digest fiber, train the immune system, and produce chemicals that affect the whole body. Their balance shifts with age, and that shift is now counted as a hallmark of aging.
Healthy older adults and centenarians tend to have more diverse gut bacteria. Whether that diversity is a cause of their health or a result of it is not settled. Transferring gut bacteria from young to old animals has improved their health in experiments, which is suggestive.
“This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship.” From the book’s medical disclaimer. Full disclaimer
OBSERVATIONAL / PRECLINICAL — Microbiome patterns and aging; healthy diversity is not a universal treatment target.Evidence grade (draft mapping)CObservationalPart 24, Q355 · Part sources
From Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.