Mixed
In older adults (over ~80 years), maintaining a gut microbiome that becomes increasingly unique (divergent from common profiles) and depletes core genera like Bacteroides is a marker of healthy ageing and predicts higher survival rates.
For older adults, the composition of your gut microbiome matters more than just its diversity. Research suggests that as you age, your microbiome naturally becomes more unique to you. This 'drift' away from common bacterial profiles (specifically a decrease in Bacteroides) is linked to better health and survival. Instead of focusing solely on boosting common bacteria, focus on a varied diet that supports a unique microbial ecosystem, as indicated by the production of specific amino acid derivatives in the blood.
In older age (over ~80 years), healthy individuals show continued microbial drift towards a unique compositional state, whereas this drift is absent in less healthy individuals... Retaining a high Bacteroides dominance into older age, or having a low gut microbiome uniqueness measure, predicts decreased survival in a 4-year follow-up.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n>9,000), multiple independent cohorts, longitudinal survival data, and consistent replication across vendors and demographics.
Source
Gut microbiome pattern reflects healthy ageing and predicts survival in humans
Tomasz Wilmanski et al. · Nature Metabolism · 2021
DOI 10.1038/s42255-021-00348-0
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