Sex-Specific Aging Patterns of Gut Microbiota in Urban Chinese Adults: Guild-Based Analysis and Implications for Healthy Aging.

Jiongxing Fu, Wanghong Xu, Danxia Yu, Yu Jiang, Lei Wang, Hui Cai, Qinghua Xia, Xiao-Ou Shu, Wei Zheng

Department of Epidemiology, NHC Key Laboratory for Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai, China.Department of Epidemiology, NHC Key Laboratory for Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Gut microbial stability typically decreases with physiological aging. This decline may vary between sexes and can potentially be mitigated by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Microbial guilds, defined as functionally coherent groups of bacteria, may serve as meaningful ecological indicators of aging. This study included 2944 participants aged 51-89 years from the Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Studies. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and a guild-based approach, we evaluated the associations between gut microbiota and age in 1353 relatively healthy individuals. We found that women demonstrated a decline in the Chao1 index, an increase in Pielou evenness, and a remarkable shift in Bray-Curtis distance, whereas men exhibited an increase in Bray-Curtis uniqueness. Of the 45 age-related guilds identified, 16 (8 in men and 10 in women) were considered potential aging biomarkers (p

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Research summary

The study identifies sex-specific aging patterns in gut microbiota that may serve as biomarkers for healthy aging. This research is relevant as it explores the relationship between gut microbiota and aging, potentially contributing to understanding the biological mechanisms of aging and promoting healthier aging strategies.

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