New
research shows for the first time that an imbalance in the good and bad
bacteria in the gut of old mice causes inflammatory responses in young mice --
responses that are linked to age-related conditions such as stroke, dementia
and cardiovascular disease. Therapies that target the bacterial composition of
the gut in elderly people, through changes to diet and pre- and probiotic
supplements, may lead to a healthier aging population.
Previous
research shows that the elderly tend to have a different composition of gut
bacteria than younger people. Immune responses also tend to be compromised in
the elderly, resulting in inflammaging. Knowing this, Fransen and his team set
out to investigate a potential link.
The
scientists transferred gut microbiota from old and young conventional mice to
young germ-free mice, and analysed immune responses in their spleen, lymph
nodes and tissues in the small intestine. They also analysed whole-genome gene
expression in the small intestine. All results showed an immune response to
bacteria transferred from the old mice but not from the young mice.
The
results suggest that an imbalance of the bacterial composition in the gut may
be the cause of inflammaging in the elderly. Imbalances, or
"dysbiosis" of gut bacteria results in "bad" bacteria being
more dominant than "good" bacteria. An overgrowth of bad bacteria can
make the lining of the gut become more permeable, allowing toxins to enter the
bloodstream where they can travel around the body with various negative
effects. Dysbiosis can have serious health implications: several disorders,
such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, anxiety and
autism are already linked to the condition.
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Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle
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Pharmaceutical Microbiology