Gut microbiome pattern reflects healthy ageing and predicts survival in humans.
Publication Title
Nat Metab
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2021
Keywords
washington; seattle; isb; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amino Acids; Bacteroides; Cohort Studies; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Healthy Aging; Humans; Life Style; Male; Metabolomics; Middle Aged; Predictive Value of Tests; Survival Analysis; Young Adult
Abstract
The gut microbiome has important effects on human health, yet its importance in human ageing remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that, starting in mid-to-late adulthood, gut microbiomes become increasingly unique to individuals with age. We leverage three independent cohorts comprising over 9,000 individuals and find that compositional uniqueness is strongly associated with microbially produced amino acid derivatives circulating in the bloodstream. 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. The identified microbiome pattern of healthy ageing is characterized by a depletion of core genera found across most humans, primarily Bacteroides. 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. Our analysis identifies increasing compositional uniqueness of the gut microbiome as a component of healthy ageing, which is characterized by distinct microbial metabolic outputs in the blood.
Area of Special Interest
Digestive Health
Specialty/Research Institute
Gastroenterology
Specialty/Research Institute
Epidemiology
Specialty/Research Institute
Institute for Systems Biology
