It is by now well understood in the research community that the balance of microbial populations making up the gut microbiome changes with age in ways that promote tissue dysfunction and chronic inflammation. Animal studies of varied approaches to the restoration of a more youthful gut microbiome have produced extended life and improved long-term health, demonstrating that an altered gut microbiome is likely an important component of degenerative aging. That said, the fine details of those alterations remain to be fully mapped and understood. Similarly, effective and deterministic approaches to the recreation of a youthful gut microbiome have yet to be created. While fecal microbiota transplantation from a young donor to an old recipient works to rejuvenate the gut microbiome, it is far from deterministic. The direction taken by the research and development community will likely involve greatly expanding the capabilities of the probiotics industry to culture well-defined artificial microbiomes of thousands of species, given to patients in enteric-coated capsules for oral adminstration.
The human gut microbiome, a densely populated and diverse microbial community, exists in symbiotic harmony with the host and within itself, continually adapting and realigning in response to the host's environment and lifestyle across the lifespan. However, disruptions in the gut microbiome, driven by intrinsic or extrinsic elements, can disrupt microbial homeostasis, leading to a state of "dysbiosis," which can induce or exacerbate the onset of different age-related diseases (ARDs) through multidirectional communication axes involving host intestinal, cardiometabolic, immune, and/or neurocognitive health.
Recent research demonstrates the potential of microbiome-targeting therapeutics to promote healthy aging by preventing/ameliorating ARDs. Thus, a precise understanding of natural and environmentally induced microbiome alterations, including disease-specific taxa and their metabolic functions, is crucial for developing personalized therapies for older adults. Aging-associated changes in the gut microbiome may serve as primary determinants of late-life health. In this context, novel and emergent strategies to optimize the microbiome for therapeutic purposes could extend healthspan and lifespan, while reducing global healthcare costs.
To this end, we herein present a perspective on emerging research wherein we deliberate the topical concept of targeting the gut microbiome and dysbiosis as a potential therapeutic target for ARDs. Sequentially, we summarize and deliberate recent advances pertaining to the incipient potential of microbiome-based therapeutics to promote healthy aging and longevity. Finally, we introduce and propose the term "biome-aging" to denote the concept of such aging-associated microbiome transformations during different stages of our lifespan. In introducing biome-aging, we emphasize how cumulative changes in the gut environment - from shifts in barrier integrity and nutrient absorption to the effects of polypharmacy - progressively remodel microbial communities. This dynamic favors a decrease in beneficial microbes, an upsurge in pathobionts, and heightened inflammatory responses at both the local and systemic levels. By defining biome-aging, we underscore the importance of preserving a balanced gut ecosystem in older adults and open new possibilities for mitigating health risks tied to accelerated or pathological aging.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1...073-025-01493-x
View the full article at FightAging
