Population aging is accelerating, and it is of great significance to identify the biological factors that affect aging and how to extend life to achieve a healthy and long life. Authors in this study assessed the causal relationships between the human microbiome (gut and oral microbiota) and longevity by leveraging bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses based on genome-wide association studies. They performed a forward MR to identify the microbial features that may affect longevity, and the reverse MR, to identify the causal effects of genetically predicted longevity phenotype on the microbiota. Further, specific microbes were identified significantly associated with longevity. The additional analysis suggested that centenarians genetically had a lower gut microbial diversity, but no difference in oral microbiota. The study strongly implies that these bacteria play a role in human longevity and underscores the relocation of commensal microbes among different body sites that would need to be monitored for long and healthy life.
Link to the article: bit.ly/3UGt5RZ
Published On: /04/2023
