Scientists discover a “mind-blowing” link between gut health and age reversal
“By restoring health in the microbiome we’re able to reverse age-related cognitive deficits,” scientists say about their new study in mice.
Scientists have known for the past two decades that the metropolis home to trillions of bacteria in your belly — the gut microbiome — is also central to mental health, the immune system, and more.
The research, published Monday in the journal Nature Aging, reveals that older mice who have received gut microbiota transplants from young mice show improved brain function and behavior. This mouse model offers powerful insight into how diet and what populates our stomachs affect what our brains look like in old age.
What’s new — Researchers have found that when they transplant microbiota of young mice into the intestines of older mice, the older mice display improved cognitive function. This is the first study that shows the correlation between transplantation of a gut microbiome from a younger mouse into an older one with improved brain abilities in the older mice.
In an interview with Inverse, Marcus Böhme, a neuroscientist with University College Cork and one of the authors, was effusive in his reaction to the research.
