Gut bacterium slows ageing and extends healthy lifespan
A specific gut bacterium declines as we age. In mouse studies, supplementing with that bacterium, or with a compound it produces, extended healthy lifespan. The findings were published in Nature Aging.
Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum is a bacterium naturally found in the human gut. The researchers analysed data from multiple human cohorts and found that the abundance of this bacterium declines significantly with age. So did the concentration of a metabolite it produces: 5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVB).
Both the bacterium and 5-AVB reduced inflammaging in mouse studies. Inflammaging refers to the chronic, low-grade inflammation that characterises ageing and contributes to a range of age-related diseases. Mice treated with the bacterium or 5-AVB lived longer in good health, though the study is careful to note that mouse results do not automatically translate to humans.
From gut bacteria to metabolism
The finding adds a new piece to the picture of how the gut microbiome influences ageing. It has previously been shown that the composition of gut flora changes with age and that these changes correlate with more inflammation-related disease. This study suggests that one specific bacterial species and its metabolite may explain part of that effect.
Probiotics as a longevity intervention?
The study combines human cohort data with mechanistic mouse research, giving it more weight than animal studies alone. Whether supplementation with Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum extends healthy lifespan in humans still needs to be shown in clinical trials, which have not yet been conducted.
From a longevity perspective, the question of whether targeted probiotics or the isolated metabolite 5-AVB could complement existing interventions is interesting, but remains speculative for now.
Search terms to explore further: Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum ageing, bacterial metabolite inflammaging, gut microbiome healthy lifespan