The Unambitious Approaches to Improving the Gut Microbiome

For every researcher interested in new approaches, there are another few whose horizons end at supplements and exercise. Thus one finds papers like this one, in which the authors discuss whether probiotics and exercise can help to ameliorate the aging of the gut microbiome. It seems a little ridiculous to focus completely on these options in a world in which fecal microbiota transplantation has been shown to produce much larger, lasting effects on the gut microbiome following a single treatment, and a few other less well developed options on the table, such as flagellin immunization, may prove to be as effective and useful. Despite numerous interindividual differences, it is now clear that the composition of the microbiota of the elderly differs significantly from that of young and middle-aged people. Numerous progresses have been made on the study of the microbiota, and evidence is accumulating on the efficacy of therapies based on the microbiota, even if the clinical applications on obtaining the slowing down of aging are still lacking and more advanced human studies at strain-level resolution are required. The gut microbiota research should be pointed on specific signatures related to longevity. Future research should consider the individuals' baseline microbiome features and customize the therapies to meet their needs. Although knowledge on the microbiota in humans is limited, the present evidence led to hypothesizing strategies useful for maintaining a good stat...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs