Achieving Healthy Aging through Gut Microbiota-Directed Dietary Intervention: Focusing on Microbial Biomarkers and Host Mechanisms

Academic Background

With the intensification of global population aging, preventing age-related diseases and extending healthy life expectancy have become critical issues in global public health. Gut microbiota has been extensively studied in recent years, playing a key role in regulating host physiological functions, immune responses, and metabolic health. Research has shown that changes in gut microbiota are closely related to the aging process, especially between healthy aging and pathological aging, making gut microbiota a potential new target for intervention in aging.

However, despite the substantial research revealing the relationship between gut microbiota and aging, studies on how to precisely regulate gut microbiota through dietary interventions to achieve healthy aging are still in their early stages. Therefore, this article aims to systematically summarize the characteristics of gut microbiota associated with aging, explore potential microbial biomarkers, and elucidate the mechanisms of gut microbiota in host aging, particularly how dietary interventions can improve gut microbiota imbalances to promote healthy aging.

Source of the Paper

This paper is co-authored by Yue Xiao, Yingxuan Feng, Jianxin Zhao, Wei Chen, and Wenwei Lu, affiliated with the School of Food Science and Technology, the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, and the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food at Jiangnan University, China. The paper was published online on March 9, 2024, in the Journal of Advanced Research. This journal, published by Elsevier, focuses on cutting-edge scientific research, particularly high-impact studies in biomedical, life sciences, and interdisciplinary fields.

Themes and Main Content

This article is a comprehensive review aiming to summarize the characteristics of gut microbiota associated with aging, explore potential microbial biomarkers, and elucidate the mechanisms of gut microbiota in host aging. The paper also summarizes existing dietary intervention strategies and proposes the future potential of regulating gut microbiota through dietary interventions to achieve healthy aging.

1. The Relationship Between Aging and Gut Microbiota

Research indicates that changes in gut microbiota are closely related to the aging process. With age, the diversity (alpha diversity) and composition (beta diversity) of gut microbiota undergo significant changes. The characteristics of gut microbiota in healthy elderly individuals (e.g., centenarians) differ markedly from those in pathological elderly individuals. Centenarians’ gut microbiota is typically enriched with beneficial bacteria (e.g., Akkermansia, Christensenellaceae, Bifidobacterium), whereas pathological aging is often accompanied by a reduction in beneficial bacteria and an increase in pathogenic bacteria.

Supporting Evidence: - Studies have shown that the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and Christensenellaceae is significantly higher in centenarians than in ordinary elderly individuals. - The expression levels of genes related to short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism in the gut microbiota of centenarians are significantly increased, indicating stronger metabolic activity.

2. Mechanisms of Gut Microbiota in Aging

Gut microbiota influences the host aging process through various mechanisms, including regulating intestinal barrier function, the immune system, and inflammatory responses. With age, intestinal barrier function gradually deteriorates, leading to increased intestinal permeability, exacerbated inflammation, and subsequently systemic inflammation and age-related diseases.

Supporting Evidence: - Research has found that intestinal barrier function in elderly mice is significantly impaired, manifested by decreased expression levels of tight junction proteins (e.g., occludin and claudin). - Gut microbiota-derived metabolites (e.g., SCFAs, tryptophan metabolites) play a crucial role in maintaining the intestinal barrier and regulating immune responses.

3. Dietary Interventions to Regulate Gut Microbiota

Dietary intervention is an important means of regulating gut microbiota, particularly through strategies such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics. Studies have shown that probiotics (e.g., Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) can significantly improve age-related diseases and delay the aging process.

Supporting Evidence: - Probiotics Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus casei have significantly improved cognitive function and immune function in elderly mice by regulating intestinal barrier function and reducing inflammatory responses. - Prebiotics (e.g., inulin and galactooligosaccharides) promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, increase SCFA production, and thereby improve intestinal health and immune status in elderly mice.

4. Future Research Directions

The paper proposes the future potential of regulating aging-related microbial biomarkers through dietary interventions, particularly by targeting specific microbiota or their metabolites to achieve healthy aging. For example, dietary interventions targeting the SCFA metabolic pathway may become an effective anti-aging strategy.

Supporting Evidence: - Studies have shown that supplementation with SCFAs can significantly improve intestinal barrier function and immune responses in elderly mice, delaying the onset of age-related diseases. - Dietary interventions targeting the tryptophan metabolic pathway may achieve anti-aging effects by regulating intestinal immune responses and inflammation levels.

Significance and Value of the Paper

This article systematically summarizes the mechanisms of gut microbiota in aging, particularly the potential of achieving healthy aging through dietary interventions to regulate gut microbiota. The research provides important theoretical and practical guidance for the future development of anti-aging strategies based on gut microbiota.

Highlights of This Study

1. Systematic Summary: The article comprehensively summarizes the role of gut microbiota in aging, particularly revealing the potential mechanisms of healthy aging through the microbiota characteristics of centenarians.
2. Cutting-Edge Perspective: The paper proposes new ideas for targeting specific microbial biomarkers through dietary interventions, providing new directions for future anti-aging research.
3. Practical Applications: The dietary intervention strategies summarized in this article (e.g., probiotics, prebiotics) provide scientific evidence for developing anti-aging foods and health products.

By analyzing the relationship between gut microbiota and aging in depth, this article systematically summarizes existing dietary intervention strategies and proposes future research directions, offering critical theoretical support and practical guidance for achieving healthy aging.