The Microbiome and Aging (Chapter in new book)

#1

The relationship between the gut microbiome and biological aging is complex and modulated by multiple factors. Some studies have recorded an overlap of microbiome alterations in biological aging and in multiple diseases, whereas others highlight the loss of specific youth-associated microbes with aging. Here we summarize the links between the human gut microbiome and health particularly in relation to aging. The limitations and challenges of microbiome studies in centenarians are examined. We also assess divergent viewpoints on the microbiome changes with chronological aging and biological aging, and provide a perspective on specific microbiome indices or metrics used by different groups to characterize the trajectory of the microbiome with age (accelerated or decelerated or normal). Finally, we address microbiome-targeted interventions for older people including the promise of interventions that are more personalized and more precise.

Source:

The Gut-Brain Axis (Second Edition)

Dietary, Probiotic, and Prebiotic Interventions on the Microbiota
2024, Pages 77-93

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323999717000059

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#2

Medications taken years ago can continue to shape the human gut microbiome, according to a large-scale study from the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.

Analyzing stool samples and prescription records from over 2,500 Estonian Biobank participants in the Estonian Microbiome cohort, researchers found that the majority of drugs studied were linked to microbiome changes, with a substantial number of them also showing long-term effects detectable years after patients stopped taking them.

The impact was not limited to antibiotics: antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines all left microbial “fingerprints.”

“Most microbiome studies only consider current medications, but our results show that past drug use can be just as important as it is a surprisingly strong factor in explaining individual microbiome differences,” said Dr. Oliver Aasmets, lead author. This highlights that it is critical to account for drug usage history when studying links between the microbiome and disease. The research is published in the journal mSystems.

#3

Meta-analysis reveals reproducible rapamycin-induced shifts in the mouse gut microbiome (BioRxiv)

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.12.675777v1

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