Hope to stay young as long as possible? How you age is NOT “all in your genes” and you have more control over that than you may think. This research reveals the link between increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) and accelerated biological aging. When your body ages faster than your chronological years you have greater risk for diseases seen more frequently in older adults, and you may end up looking much older than you are.
Take good care of your gut and you may avoid early manifestation of diseases seen later in life such as dementia, brain disorders, diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, reduced mobility, immunodeficiency, infections, chronic inflammation, and cancer.
Results
PLWH exhibit accelerated biological aging in the colon, ileum, and blood, as measured by various epigenetic aging clocks, compared to PLWoH. Investigating the relationship between microbial translocation and biological aging, PLWH had decreased levels of tight junction proteins in the intestines, along with increased microbial translocation. This intestinal permeability correlated with faster biological aging and increased inflammation. When investigating the relationship between microbial dysbiosis and biological aging, the intestines of PLWH had higher abundance of specific pro-inflammatory bacteria, such as Catenibacterium and Prevotella. These bacteria correlated with accelerated biological aging. Conversely, the intestines of PLWH had lower abundance of bacteria known for producing the anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids, such as Subdoligranulum and Erysipelotrichaceae, and these bacteria were associated with slower biological aging. Correlation networks revealed significant links between specific microbial genera in the colon and ileum (but not in feces), increased aging, a rise in pro-inflammatory microbe-related metabolites (e.g., those in the tryptophan metabolism pathway), and a decrease in anti-inflammatory metabolites like hippuric acid.
Source: Microbiome February 22 2024