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Longevity

Longevity Briefs: The Bacteria In Your Gut Could Keep Your Muscles Strong

Posted on 11 October 2024

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Longevity briefs provides a short summary of novel research in biology, medicine, or biotechnology that caught the attention of our researchers in Oxford, due to its potential to improve our health, wellbeing, and longevity.

The problem:

As the global population ages, conditions like sarcopenia (a reduction in muscle mass, strength and performance) become increasingly common. This in turn leads to a higher risk of falls, fractures and disability. We’re increasingly realising that the microbes in our gut can benefit many organ systems in surprising ways, and the musculoskeletal system is no exception. Unfortunately, the diversity of the gut microbiome declines with age, including a loss of bacterial species producing beneficial compounds like short-chain fatty acids. In this review article, researchers assess what we know about how the gut microbiome is related to loss of muscle strength with age.

The discovery:

Reviewing 12 studies published between 2002 and 2022 that focused on participants aged 50 and older, researchers found evidence that a higher abundance of certain bacterial species, as well as a reduced diversity of butyrate-producing bacteria, was associated with a greater degree of sarcopenia. There was also some evidence that nutrition, including the consumption of prebiotics (non-digestible fibre that gut bacteria can metabolise into beneficial compounds) could positively influence muscle strength, suggesting that this relationship may be causal.

The implications:

Preserving the health of the gut microbiome during ageing may also help to preserve muscle mass and strength, delaying the onset and reducing the severity of sarcopenia. This could be explained through beneficial effects on the immune system leading to reduced inflammation, thereby protecting muscle tissue from damage. Gut bacteria also play a role in the absorption of nutrients that are essential for muscle health, and may influence the levels of hormones that impact muscle growth.

Unlike many other aspects of ageing, it seems to be possible to entirely rejuvenate the gut microbiome by simply transplanting the microbiome of a younger person into an older one by means of a faecal microbiome transplant. This hasn’t been extensively studied, but is unfortunately the only way to produce a lasting impact, as probiotic supplements contain bacteria that are not native to the human gut and don’t survive there for long. Prebiotics, on the other hand, may well help to preserve a healthy gut microbiome for longer.


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    References

    Title image by CDC, Upslash

    Association of Gut Microbiome with Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Muscle Performance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21091246

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