Want to live to 100? The key may lie in altering your gut, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. In a study of 176 Japanese centenarians, the researchers found a specific combination of diverse intestinal bacteria and bacterial viruses in the gut corresponded to high protection from infections. There is already a host of research that has drawn a link between a healthy gut microbiome and protection against age-related disease. But it’s not possible to change someone’s genetic predisposition for a diverse microbiome – as exists in some of the Japanese population. What may be possible, the researchers claim, is to change the non-genetic makeup of someone’s intestinal biome. With further studies of the relationship between bacteria and viruses, plus the help of an algorithm based on this research, the hope is to eventually recreate a “longevity-gut” in others.
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