Posted on 07/30/2021 11:36:05 AM PDT by rxsid
Key to living past 100 may hinge on your gut health, study of centenarians shows
TOKYO — Centenarians have unique gut bacteria that enables them to live to a ripe old age, according to new research. Scientists in Japan say this unique gut makeup fuels bile acids that protect against disease.
The discovery could lead to yogurts and other probiotic foods that increase longevity.
“In people over the age of 100, an enrichment in a distinct set of gut microbes generate unique bile acids,” says lead author Professor Kenya Honda of Keio University in a statement per South West News Service. “They might inhibit the growth of pathogens.”
The complex fluids are vital in ridding the body of fat and waste. They also control cholesterol.
“The community of microbes in our gut changes as we age,” Prof. Honda adds.
Fighting off superbugs that shorten lives
In healthy individuals, the trillions of microbes that live in our intestines become increasingly distinctive.
“Centenarians are less susceptible to age-related chronic diseases and infection than are elderly individuals below the age of 100,” the microbiologist explains. “It is thought the composition of their gut microbiota may be associated with extreme longevity, but the mechanisms have been unclear.”
In particular, they have specific strains of an organism known as Odoribacteraceae. It makes bile acids that act as antimicrobials against a range of illnesses, the study finds. Experiments in mice showed they even destroyed hospital superbugs like Clostridioides difficile and Enterococcus faecium. They can cause severe diarrhea, especially in vulnerable people taking antibiotics.
His team analyzed the gut bacteria of more than 300 adults in Japan, including 160 over 100 years-old, 112 between 85 and 89, and 47 under 55 years-old.
“Compared with elderly and young individuals, centenarians are enriched in gut microbes capable of generating unique secondary bile acids through novel biosynthetic pathways,” the professor says.
Is healthy gut bacteria the ‘elixir of youth’ for centenarians?
The study, published in the journal Nature, suggests they hold the key to an “elixir of youth.”
“It may be possible to exploit the bile-acid-metabolizing capabilities of the identified bacterial strains to manipulate the pool for health benefits,” Honda continues.
The discovery sheds fresh light on why centenarians are less prone to age-related illnesses, chronic inflammation, and infectious diseases. Prof. Honda and colleagues screened 68 species of bacteria from a stool sample of one of the centenarians. The results add to growing evidence the community of microorganisms in your belly can help predict if you will have a long and healthy life.
The findings show this partially depends on your mother’s microbiota, your environment at birth, and your current diet and lifestyle. These organisms line your entire digestive system. Most live in your intestines and colon. They also impact your metabolism and the immune system.
“It has been postulated there are centenarian-specific members of the gut microbiota which, rather than representing a mere consequence of aging, might actively contribute to resistance against pathogenic infection and other environmental stressors,” Honda concludes. “We aimed to identify such beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiota of centenarians.”
The "French Paradox"/Gascony Wines/"Mediterranean diet" don't hurt either ;)
What a throwback. Great commercial!
The irony was, in the rest of the Soviet Union, I think the average lifespan for males was in the 50s, because of massive vodka consumption.
As a man who had 4 gallbladder attacks before he quit futzing around trying to “heal” it and then had the damn thing removed, I can say this is absolutely true. If your gut is not happy you are not happy.
And starchy diet..................
The discovery could lead to yogurts and other probiotic foods that increase longevity.
You actually die at whatever age God determined for you.
Eating yogurt and other crud like that, makes you feel sad and over 100!
“The genus Odoribacter derives its name from its rod shape and foul odor it produces in the mouth of dogs [1]. Bacteria within this genus are atypical opportunistic pathogens, anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-negative [1],[2]. The Odoribacter was originally isolated from a ventral abscess in humans and classified as Bacteroides splanchnicus in 1971 [1]. A new isolate that caused oral disease in companion animals was later found and classified as a new genus Odoribacter in 2008 [1]. B. splanchnicus was then reclassified as O. splanchnicus [1]. There are now three species within the genus: O. denticanis, O. laneus, and O. splanchnicus [3]. Models for how each of these species operate in vivo; however, have yet to be elucidated. Out of the three species, O. splanchnicus has been the most studied.”
“Members of the Odoribacter sp. can cause health problems such as abdominal abscess in humans and periodontal problems in domestic animals [1],[3]. More often, however, their presence is shown to be beneficial for the prevention of several diseases such as hypertension [1],[3]. As a member of the human intestinal microbiome, Odoribacter sp. can also modulate the host's blood glucose concentration and blood pressure [4],[5].Thus, they are classified as atypical pathogens.”
“The discovery could lead to yogurts and other probiotic foods that increase longevity.”
Oh good God you know what this means? 20 billion ads a day on the Sean Hannity radio show for “Gut yogurt”
“Hey it cured my lymphoma! It cured my MS! I was blind now I can see!”
Just eat dirt. It's free.
Move over pot lobbyists. You’re being replaced with yogurt as the cure for everything this side of cancer. LOL
When I was a teen I use to have the worst stomach aches you can imagine, so bad that I would have to go to the hospital over and over and once even stopped at a police station. I know exactly what you mean, it feels like death and I use to wish I would die just to stop the pain. The doctors had no idea what it was and to this day I have no idea, it just got less frequent until it went away, that was a nightmare. I use to lay on my side for hours until it stopped.
Going through this right now... Doc says I have a sludgy Gallbladder with hundreds of tiny stones in it. Fatty liver too. Going on the Mediterranean diet next week. Good thing I like that type of food.
Beto, is that you? 😉
I guess Dannon yogurt could be as nutritious as the homemade stuff made by georgian old world farmers, but I wouldn’t put any money that bet.
I suspect the key is the strain of culture that is used. I can’t remember the specifics, but there are hints of how certain (secret?) cheeses or wines were made, and even I think balms and salves, had to do with protecting and carrying down the cultures that were used.
*in the bible
Hmmm...
Always though the hunt for "longevity" had to do with something else...
IAC, in 12.5 years I'll know whether my gut worked or not...
I think that's the second corollary to "the path to a man's heart is through his stomach".
I eat yogurt all the time.
I don’t feel any younger...............
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