Sounds like tributyrin supplementation could be a quite useful, anyone with own experience with microbiome measurement and fine tuning?
Fabio
The decline of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut microbiome is a key feature of aging, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease. This reduction in bacteria leads to lower levels of the beneficial short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate, which has neuroprotective effects by regulating epigenetic modifications and reducing inflammation. Interventions like dietary fiber supplementation or oral butyrate administration can increase these bacteria and butyrate levels, potentially mitigating age-related cognitive decline and brain abnormalities by improving gut integrity and reducing inflammation.
How the process works:
- 1. Age-Related Decline in Butyrate-Producing Bacteria:
As an organism ages, there is a significant and temporal reduction in the abundance of bacteria that produce butyrate.
- 2. Reduced Butyrate Levels:
This decrease in specific bacteria leads to lower production of butyrate, a crucial SCFA in the gut.
- 3. Impact on the Brain:
Low butyrate levels contribute to increased gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and adverse changes in brain health, including cognitive decline and neuropathology.
- 4. Epigenetic Dysregulation and Neuroinflammation:
Butyrate’s role in maintaining epigenetic marks, like histone acetylation, is important for neuronal health. Its reduction can lead to dysregulation and promote age-related neuroinflammation.
Therapeutic Implications:
- Dietary Interventions:
A high-fiber diet that promotes the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria, such as through inulin supplementation, can restore butyrate levels, improve gut health, and exert beneficial effects on neuroinflammation and microglia function.
- Butyrate Administration:
Supplementation with butyrate or its prodrugs, like tributyrin, can directly increase butyrate levels, which has been shown to protect against age-related decline in butyrate-producing bacteria and mitigate neurodegenerative changes.
Strategies to modulate the gut microbiome by increasing the abundance of these beneficial bacteria are being explored as a significant therapeutic avenue for preventing and treating aging-related cognitive impairment.