{"id":690,"date":"2019-02-18T11:43:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T11:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=690"},"modified":"2019-02-18T11:43:46","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T11:43:46","slug":"bacteria-keep-us-healthy-but-could-they-keep-us-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/690\/bacteria-keep-us-healthy-but-could-they-keep-us-young\/","title":{"rendered":"Bacteria keep us healthy \u2013 but could they keep us young?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gareth Willmer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and memory, providing a potential avenue of research into how to maintain cognitive functioning as we age.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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It\u2019s part of a field of research looking at the link between gut bacteria and ageing to help people live healthier lives in old age. The proportion of the EU population aged 80 or over is\u00a0predicted to more than double between 2017 and 2080<\/a>, with those aged 65-plus rising from 20 to almost 30%.<\/p>\n

However, the connection between the make-up of microbiota in the gut, brain functions and ageing has been unclear \u2013\u00a0with cause and effect difficult to establish.<\/p>\n

Dr Damien Rei, a postdoctoral researcher into neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases at the Pasteur Institute in France, decided to examine the different types of microbiome that appear in younger and older mice to understand better what might happen in people too.<\/p>\n

He found that when he transferred gut bacteria in older mice to young adult mice, there was a strong effect on reducing learning and memory. And when the opposite was done, with older mice receiving microbiota from younger mice, their cognitive abilities returned to normal. The older mice were aged about a year and a half \u2013 equivalent to about 60-plus human years.<\/p>\n

\u2018Despite being aged animals, their learning abilities were almost indistinguishable from those of young adult mice after the microbiota transfer,\u2019 said Dr Rei \u2013 adding that this indicated strong communication between the gut and brain. \u2018When I saw the data, I couldn\u2019t believe it. I had to redo the experiment at least a couple of times.\u2019<\/p>\n

Furthermore, by seeing what was happening to the neuronal pathways of communication between the gut and brain when the aged microbiota was transferred to the younger mice, they were then able to manipulate these pathways. By doing this, he says they could\u00a0block or mimic the effects of the aged microbiota.<\/p>\n

Dr Rei\u2019s study, which was carried out as part of a project called\u00a0Microbiota and Aging<\/a>, has not yet been published, but he hopes this could happen by the end of the summer. He is also looking into human gut microbiota in older people and those with Alzheimer\u2019s disease, but said it is too early to reveal further details about this research.<\/p>\n

Translating<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, Dr Rei pointed out that there is a big challenge in translating results in mice to people, not only because of the significant ethical barriers, but also the differences in physiology. \u2018The immune system of a mouse is very different to one of a human. The gut microbiota is also very different because mice eat very different things to what we do,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Research is still a long way off from making real inroads into using this type of research to combat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s, says\u00a0Dr Rei. Indeed, he says, there is no convincing evidence yet that looking at the gut microbiota is the way to go. But he believes the mouse study opens doors to further investigation into mechanisms behind age-related changes.<\/p>\n

\u2018The data on the mice was really the first stepping stone, and it was a way for us to understand the potential of manipulating the gut microbiota,\u2019 said Dr Rei.<\/p>\n

Pinning down the link between gut bacteria and ageing is not straightforward, according to Dr Thorsten Brach, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s known that ageing is a multifactorial process and it\u2019s hard, especially when it comes to the microbiome, to separate the effects of ageing specifically from all other aspects,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

He worked on a project called\u00a0Gut-InflammAge<\/a>, which looked at the link between gut microbes, inflammation and ageing, led by associate professor Manimozhiyan Arumugam.<\/p>\n

As part of their work, the team investigated the effects of mild periodic calorie restriction in mice to explore the potential impact of healthy-ageing diets involving fasting. Unexpectedly, calorie-restricted mice accumulated more body fat \u2013 which the researchers speculate may have been down to overeating between these periods \u2013 but also saw a mild \u2018rejuvenation\u2019 of their blood profile so it more closely resembled that of younger mice.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Despite being aged animals, their learning abilities were almost indistinguishable from those of young adult mice after the microbiota transfer.\u2019<\/p>\n

Damien Rei, Pasteur Institute, France<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The researchers did observe a difference between the microbiota composition in the different groups, but overall in the study the differences found were not big enough to suggest more than healthy variability between individuals. The study therefore supported the view that diet and lifestyle are more critical than age and gender in shaping the microbiota, said the researchers \u2013 though Prof. Arumugam said it would be more revealing to follow changes in individual people\u2019s microbiomes over time.<\/p>\n

The studies carried out so far indicate there is still a long way to go in painting an accurate picture of the link between microbiota and the ageing process. Prof. Arumugam also pointed out that microbiome analysis is lagging behind technologically compared with genetics research, with disease cause and effect harder to establish than with genes.<\/p>\n

But research is gradually improving our understanding. Prof. Arumugam said that though his team\u2019s study did not achieve a \u2018breakthrough\u2019, it helped give more insight into this area and raised questions over previous assumptions.<\/p>\n

And research in this area could ultimately change how we view ageing, says Dr Rei, seeing it as more fluid than just \u2018a totally one-way road with no turning back, except in the movies like Benjamin Button.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gareth Willmer A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and memory, providing a potential avenue of research into how to maintain cognitive functioning as we age. It\u2019s part of a field of research looking at the link between gut bacteria and ageing … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[37,25,79,24,171],"class_list":["post-690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-health","tag-innovation","tag-research","tag-science","tag-treatment"],"yoast_head":"\nBacteria keep us healthy \u2013 but could they keep us young? - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/690\/bacteria-keep-us-healthy-but-could-they-keep-us-young\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bacteria keep us healthy \u2013 but could they keep us young?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Gareth Willmer A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and memory, providing a potential avenue of research into how to maintain cognitive functioning as we age. 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Fasano, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/25.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2437,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2437\/new-clues-to-age-old-illnesses-emerge-in-the-gut\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":2},"title":"New clues to age-old illnesses emerge in the gut","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"July 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Links between the human intestine and diseases such as arthritis are increasingly coming to light and signal that healthy diets can help control illnesses. By\u00a0\u00a0ANTHONY KING Health in body and mind may well be rooted in the gut. The trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses in the human body\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1328,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1328\/bacteria-are-always-at-war-understanding-their-use-of-weapons-may-lead-to-antibiotic-alternatives\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":3},"title":"Bacteria are always at war. Understanding their use of weapons may lead to antibiotic alternatives","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"June 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou A small glimmer of light passes from one bacterium to another. Under the microscope it might not look like much, but there\u2019s a deadly battle underway: the second cell has just been hit by a poisoned spear. \u2018You can see the cell ball up and die,\u2019 said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"E.coli can cause disease but it also lives in our gut and has a range of toxins that helps keep the populations of the various bacteria in balance. 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Researchers now want to optimise feed to promote fish growth and nutrition. To do this, they are studying fish gut bacteria and the impact of probiotic additives as well as testing nutrient supplements. Aquaculture, which involves\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/hanson-lu-eUfnha6ev9g-unsplash.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1029,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1029\/sewage-rivers-and-soils-provide-missing-link-in-antibiotic-resistance-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":5},"title":"Sewage, rivers and soils provide missing link in antibiotic resistance story","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you think that the key to beating antibiotic resistance is only for doctors to prescribe less and scientists to find new drug candidates, you are probably wrong. The fundamental solutions may lie far from medicine \u2013 in managing our rivers and soils. That is the view of scientists who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"In poorer countries, using raw wastewater to irrigate urban farms could be an underlying cause of antibiotic resistance.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/3256371571_0f763fc556_k.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}