Age-related changes in gut microbiota composition from newborn to centenarian: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundIt has been reported that the composition of human gut microbiota changes with age; however, few studies have used molecular techniques to investigate the long-term, sequential changes in gut microbiota composition. In this study, we investigated the sequential changes in gut microbiota composition in newborn to centenarian Japanese subjects.ResultsFecal samples from 367 healthy Japanese subjects between the ages of 0 and 104 years were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of amplicons derived from the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Analysis based on bacterial co-abundance groups (CAGs) defined by Kendall correlations between genera revealed that certain transition types of microbiota were enriched in infants, adults, elderly individuals and both infant and elderly subjects. More positive correlations between the relative abundances of genera were observed in the elderly-associated CAGs compared with the infant- and adult-associated CAGs. Hierarchical Ward’s linkage clustering based on the abundance of genera indicated five clusters, with median (interquartile range) ages of 3 (0–35), 33 (24–45), 42 (32–62), 77 (36–84) and 94 (86–98) years. Subjects were predominantly clustered with their matched age; however, some of them fell into mismatched age clusters. Furthermore, clustering based on the proportion of transporters predicted by phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) showed that subjects were divided into two age-related groups, the adult-enriched and infant/elderly-enriched clusters. Notably, all the drug transporters based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Orthology groups were found in the infant/elderly-enriched cluster.ConclusionOur results indicate some patterns and transition points in the compositional changes in gut microbiota with age. In addition, the transporter property prediction results suggest that nutrients in the gut might play an important role in changing the gut microbiota composition with age.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-016-0708-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Nutrition and the gut microbiome in the elderly

“…With regard to other relevant intestinal microbial populations such as the phylum Bacteriodetes, the results are more variable, with some studies reporting lower levels 19,[23][24][25][26][27] while others have indicated increases of this microbial group in elderly subjects. 21 Similarly, variable results have also been observed for lactobacilli, with some studies reporting a reduction 22,28 and others an increase in the levels of these microorganisms at older ages. 24,27,29 It is still unclear whether this variability in the results obtained for certain microbial groups is related to actual population differences or to methodological issues, such as the different techniques used for determining microbial abundancies ( Table 1).…”

“…[19][20][21] The gut microbiota of elderly subjects is characterized by a reduced bacterial diversity, shifts in the dominant species, a decline in beneficial microorganisms, increase of facultative anaerobic bacteria and a decrease in the availability of total short chain fatty acids. 11 More specifically, when comparing the microbiota of elderly with that of younger adults, lower levels of Firmicutes, mainly Clostridium cluster XIVa and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Actinobacteria (mainly bifidobacteria), and increased populations of Proteobacteria have been found [19][20][21][22][23][24] (Table 1). With regard to other relevant intestinal microbial populations such as the phylum Bacteriodetes, the results are more variable, with some studies reporting lower levels 19,[23][24][25][26][27] while others have indicated increases of this microbial group in elderly subjects.…”

“…(C) correlation with age "by age: Eggerthela, Akkemansia, Anaerotruncus, Synergistaceae, Bilophila, Christensenellaceae #Bifidobacterium E, C but "S 16S rRNA gene sequencing 111 Healthy volunteers, Japan, 0-104y (213F,158M): elderly volunteers, Japan >60y (53F, 36M) #by age: Actinobacteria " Bacteroidetes, Betaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria in elderly "Porphyromonas, Treponema, Fusobacterium, Pseudoramibacter in elderly 16S rRNA gene sequencing, qPCR 21 potential detrimental effects of the microbiota changes associated with aging. It is also important to consider that the above mentioned shifts in the gut microbiota do not initiate at a defined age, and they are rather a gradual process, 32 likely related with the physiological decline of the individual.…”

Moderate-dose Regular Lifelong Alcohol Intake Changes the Intestinal Flora, Protects against Aging, and Keeps Spatial Memory in the Senescence-accelerated Mouse Prone 8 (SAMP8) Model

“…With aging, Bifidobacterium decreases, but Clostridium perfringens, Lactobacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Enterococcus increase. Recently, Odamaki et al reported the sequential changes in gut microflora composition in newborn to centenarian Japanese subjects (39). O'Toole et al reported a framework for analyzing microflora-health associations, distinguishing correlation from causation, identifying microflora interaction with physiological aging processes, and developing microflora-based health surveillance for older adults (40).…”

Anti-aging food that improves markers of health in senior dogs by modulating gut microbiota and metabolite profiles

“…In a study that compared the microbial composition of Japanese people ranging from infants to 301 the elderly (26), the relative proportions of bacteria in the genera Fusobacterium and Megamonas 302 increased with age. The positive correlation of Fusobacterium with fecal levels of mucin amino acids 303 supports a previous report that showed the capacity of Fusobacterium species to degrade mucin (27).…”