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Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) believe that it is faeces, not facials that will keep your cheeks plump. In their new peer-reviewed study they have linked the microbial content of the gut with implications for the function of the brain and eyes.
Professor Simon Carding, of UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said the findings provide “tantalising evidence for the direct involvement of gut microbes in ageing and the functional decline of [the] brain”.
Scientists at the Quadram Institute tested transplanting microbes found in the gut of young mice to old ones, which saw an improvement in their health.
When they reversed the experiment, swapping younger dung for senior soil, it “induced inflammation in the brain of young recipients and depleted a key protein required for normal vision”, a statement read.
The findings, published in the journal Microbiome, show that the microbes that occupy the gut may play a part in regulating some of the detrimental effects of ageing.
This opens up the possibility for gut microbe-based therapies to be developed to combat a decline in later life.
Dr Aimee Parker, lead author of the study, said that “by changing the gut microbiota of elderly individuals, we could rescue indicators of age-associated decline commonly seen in degenerative conditions of the eye and brain.
“Our results provide more evidence of the important links between microbes in the gut and healthy ageing of tissues and organs around the body.
“We hope that our findings will contribute ultimately to understanding how we can manipulate our diet and our gut bacteria to maximise good health in later life.”
Whereas having bacteria in the bloodstream is something the body tries to avoid, microbes within the digestion system are part of a co-dependence that helps sustain both them and bodily function.
Most diseases are said to be associated with changes in the types and behaviour of bacteria, viruses and fungi in a person’s bowels.
Some of these changes happen naturally as we age, but do adversely affect a person’s metabolism and immunity.
The makeup of a person’s gut microbes has been associated with age-related illness, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative issues – a link that may be strengthened by the new study.
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Researchers found that microbes from older mice in the experiment led to a “loss of integrity of the lining of the gut”, which allowed bacteria “to cross into the circulation” of the rodent.
This is believed to have caused inflammation in the eyes and brain, which have been associated with the activation of specific immune cells in the brain.
These cells were “over-activated” in the young mice who received transplants from old mice, scientists on the project observed.
The research team also discovered that proteins in the eye associated with retinal degeneration were “elevated” in the young mice after the transplant.
However, the same degeneration and inflammations caused by the old microbes could be reversed in the older mice by inoculating them with healthier bacteria.
The team at UEA are continuing to study the phenomenon, and are now seeking to understand “how long these positive effects can last”, as well as attempt to “identify the beneficial components” of the younger microbial content.
While similar microbial functions exist in humans, researchers expressed caution about extrapolating their results to humans until tests on elderly people can be performed.
However, the Quadram Institute said that it was developing a new facility to trial “Faecal Microbiota Transplantation” – suggesting scientists believe that even at an early stage, the revelations provide promise for elderly health.
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