Foreign Media: Scientists have discovered a close link between gut microbiota and aging. In older adults, microbial diversity declines and pro-inflammatory bacteria increase, whereas the gut microbiota of healthy, long-lived individuals more closely resembles that of younger people.
The gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in the colon, responsible for digesting food, regulating immunity, and producing various molecules that affect both the brain and the body. Research has found that elderly individuals exhibit lower gut microbial diversity and a higher abundance of pro-inflammatory microbes, while centenarians who remain healthy show microbial compositions more similar to those of young people. Algorithms can even reliably predict a person's actual age based on their gut microbiota composition.
Animal experiments further confirm this association: transplanting fecal microbiota from young mice into old mice led to significant reversal of inflammation in the gut, brain, and eyes; conversely, transferring microbiota from old mice to young mice accelerated the aging process.
Diet and exercise are crucial for maintaining a youthful microbiome. Ultra-processed foods high in sugar and fat can reduce microbial diversity within just a few days; dietary fiber, acting as a prebiotic, nourishes the gut microbiota, which breaks it down into short-chain fatty acids—improving metabolism, brain function, and immune system health while suppressing chronic inflammation.
Original Source: toutiao.com/article/1864870967630852/
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