You have your gut microbiome test results.
What can they tell you about healthy ageing — and what can you change?
A microbiome test can show which microorganisms are present in your gut and their relative abundance. It may also report microbial diversity and other features of your microbiome.
There is no single result that defines a healthy microbiome.
Healthy people can have very different microbiomes. Age, diet, medications, lifestyle and health can all affect the result.
Do Individual Bacteria Matter?
Yes, but they should not be interpreted alone.
Some bacteria and microbial patterns are more often associated with health. Others have been associated with disease or less favourable health outcomes.
Bacteroides is a good example.
In a study of more than 9,000 people, persistent Bacteroides dominance in older age was associated with a less favourable ageing pattern. In older men, it was also associated with shorter survival.
This does not mean that Bacteroides causes poorer health.
Disease may change the microbiome. So can medications, diet and changes in physical activity.
The microbiome may therefore influence health and also change as a result of health.
What Should You Look At?
Look at the overall microbiome pattern, rather than one bacterium.
Consider microbial diversity and the balance between different microorganisms.
Microbial function may also matter. Gut microorganisms produce metabolites that interact with human metabolism, the immune system and the intestinal barrier.
Then consider your own situation.
Your age, health, diet, medications, recent antibiotics and lifestyle all affect how your result should be interpreted.
Can the Result Help You Make Changes?
It can help identify areas worth discussing in your health strategy.
Diet is one of the main ways to influence the gut microbiome. Physical activity and other lifestyle factors can also affect it.
A microbiome result may therefore help guide a more personalized discussion about nutrition and lifestyle.
But it does not yet provide a simple prescription.
A low level of one bacterium does not automatically mean that you should take that bacterium as a probiotic. A high level does not automatically mean that it should be reduced.
The aim is not to create a theoretically “perfect” microbiome.
For healthy ageing, the aim is to support a microbiome that functions well in the context of your health, diet and lifestyle.
