Effects of Aging Have Been Reversed by Putting Young Mouse Poop in Old Mice

It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but it is based on cold, hard, printed research and seems to reverse key signs of aging in the guts, eyes, and brains of the older mice.

Experiments show that it works the other way as well, and that it causes younger mice to show signs of aging, including increased inflammation in the brain and a reduction in a keyprotein needed for normal vision.

As we get older, we become more susceptible to wear, tear, and disease due to the way our guts degrade. Experiments show that something could be done about that, although only mice guts have been tested so far.

The researchers wrote in their published paper that they tested the hypothesis that manipulating the intestinal microbiota influences the development of major comorbidities associated with aging and inflammation affecting the brain and retina.

As we get older, inflammation around the brain and the eyes tends to get worse.

The inflammation thatcurred when the poo microbes were transferred from young to old mice appeared to have reversed. The younger mice began to show signs of gut aging and inflammation when the transplant was moved the other way.

There were signs of a loss of integrity in the gut lining, elevated levels of proteins associated withretinal degeneration, and over-activation of the immune cells that are tied to inflammaging.

The results show that the age-associated changes in the gut microbiota contribute to disrupted gut barrier integrity and systemic and tissue inflammation affecting the retina and the brain, but these changes can be reversed by replacement with young donor microbiota.

Scientific studies are giving us more and more of an understanding about the different ways that our gut microbes are linked to our health, whether that is mental health issues or physical health issues.

Changing the mix ofbacteria in our bellies has the potential to bring about a variety of different health benefits.

There is another option that is worth exploring for researchers. Future studies are planned to look at how long the positive impacts of fecal transplants might last for, and which gut microbes are controlling the effects that are being seen. Scientists will be able to explore if it could work in humans.

The ground-breaking study provides evidence for the direct involvement of gut microbes in aging and the functional decline of brain function and vision, and offers a potential solution in the form of gut microbe replacement therapy, according to gut biologist Simon Carding from the University of East.

The research has been published.