Paweł Łabaj, a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, southern Poland, said scientists are increasingly examining whether regular analysis of gut microorganisms could help people remain healthy for a greater proportion of their lives.
Łabaj is deputy director for scientific affairs at the university's Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology and chief executive of onebiome, a Polish company that offers microbiome analysis.
Lifespan vs. healthspan
Researchers distinguish between lifespan, the number of years a person lives, and healthspan, the period spent in good health without debilitating chronic disease or disability.
Work on longevity increasingly aims to extend the second period and reduce ill health near the end of life.
The gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, may affect this process through inflammation, metabolism and communication between the gut and brain.
One area of interest is chronic inflammation, which tends to increase with age and is associated with a range of diseases.
"When the intestinal barrier does not function properly, some substances can pass through it, which promotes chronic inflammation," Łabaj told Poland's PAP news agency. "Over time, this affects the functioning of various organs and damages tissues. A well-balanced microbiome inhibits this process."
Gut bacteria also produce compounds when breaking down food components that human enzymes cannot digest.
These include short-chain fatty acids such as acetate and butyrate, which nourish intestinal cells and are involved in immune and metabolic functions.
Gut-brain axis
Researchers are also studying the gut-brain axis, the two-way communication system between the digestive tract and nervous system.
The microbiome is one part of that system and has been associated with brain function, mood and cognition.
The more immediate prospect, Łabaj said, is to use microbiome analysis as an early warning system.
"The idea is to know more, earlier, and to monitor it," he said.
Changes could potentially prompt relatively simple interventions involving diet, exercise, sleep or other aspects of lifestyle before more serious problems develop.
Current microbiome tests, however, cannot yet be interpreted in the same way as standard laboratory tests. Blood tests, for example, use established reference ranges built on extensive clinical evidence.
Scientists are still working out how microbiome samples should be collected, stored, analyzed and interpreted.
One problem is the considerable variation between individuals and populations.
Researchers initially hoped they could identify which bacterial species were present in healthy people and use them to establish universal norms. They found that microbiomes vary substantially with diet, environment and geography.
"What is typical for a healthy person in Poland does not necessarily look identical to the profile of a healthy person in Japan, China or the United States," Łabaj said.
Scientists are therefore paying increasing attention to what gut bacteria do rather than simply which species are present. Different microorganisms can perform similar metabolic functions, meaning two people may have quite different bacterial populations whose overall activity is comparable.
'No such thing as a health pill'
Łabaj said researchers could establish more useful reference ranges within the next several years. Even then, microbiome analysis would offer guidance rather than a simple treatment.
"There will be no such thing as a health pill," he said. "Even an ideal microbiome will not solve our problems forever."
Another line of research seeks to alter the microbiome itself.
Fecal microbiota transplantation is already used primarily to treat recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections, often following antibiotic treatment. The procedure transfers specially prepared intestinal microorganisms from a carefully screened donor.
Researchers are now trying to develop more targeted alternatives using selected combinations of bacterial strains. Such preparations could be designed to restore particular microbiome functions or compete with bacteria whose excessive growth is causing problems.
Łabaj said future bacterial combinations could eventually be tailored to particular disorders or used to counter microbiome changes associated with chronic inflammation and aging.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl