New University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research, published July 14 in Scientific Reports, found that differences in gut bacteria explained about 15% of the differences in how quickly participants’ bodies were biologically aging.
The study provides evidence that gut microbiome carries meaningful biological information related to how quickly the body ages at the molecular level.
“This study advances our understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiome and biological aging,” senior study author Alika Maunakea with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine in a university release. “We found that microbial patterns in the gut were significantly associated with molecular measures of aging, even independent of chronological age.”
Maunakea added that the findings open important new directions for understanding how modifiable biological systems influence long-term health trajectories and longevity…