Research

Mixed

Centenarians exhibit a distinct gut microbiota profile characterized by increased diversity and enrichment of specific beneficial taxa (Akkermansia, Christensenellaceae, Bifidobacterium) alongside an increase in facultative anaerobes (Proteobacteria), which correlates with longevity and healthy aging.

While you cannot simply 'take' a centenarian microbiota, the research suggests that maintaining high microbial diversity and supporting beneficial taxa (like Akkermansia and Christensenellaceae) through a diverse, fiber-rich diet and healthy lifestyle may support the adaptive gut ecosystem associated with healthy aging.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
In extreme longevity, this shrinkage is counterbalanced by an increase in longevity-adapted and possibly health-promoting subdominant species (e.g., Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Christensenellaceae) as well as in their co-occurrence network... In extremely aged people, centenarians and semi-supercentenarians, an overall increase has been observed in the GM diversity.
Aurelia Santoro et al. · Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences · 2017

Why this rating

The paper is a review of observational studies and cross-sectional comparisons; no causal intervention is tested.

Source

Gut microbiota changes in the extreme decades of human life: a focus on centenarians

Aurelia Santoro et al. · Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences · 2017

DOI 10.1007/s00018-017-2674-y

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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