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Review
. 2017 Jul 14;5(1):80.
doi: 10.1186/s40168-017-0296-0.

(Dis)Trust your gut: the gut microbiome in age-related inflammation, health, and disease

Thomas W Buford  1
Affiliations
Review

(Dis)Trust your gut: the gut microbiome in age-related inflammation, health, and disease

Thomas W Buford. Microbiome. .

Abstract

Chronic inflammation represents one of the most consistent biologic features of aging. However, the precise etiology of persistent low-grade increases in inflammation remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiome may play a key role in age-related inflammation. Indeed, several studies have indicated that older adults display an altered composition of the gut microbiota, and early evidence indicates that this dysbiosis is associated with the presence of several key circulating inflammatory analytes. The present review summarizes knowledge on age-related inflammation and discusses how potential relationships with gut dysbiosis may lead to novel treatment strategies in the future."The pattern of disease is an expression of the response of man to his total environment (physical, biological, and social); this response is, therefore, determined by anything that affects man himself or his environment." - Rene Dubos, 1961.

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Conflict of interest statement

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Not applicable

Competing Interests

The author declares that there are no competing interests associated with this manuscript.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of PubMed citations by year using the search term “aging and inflammation”
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a Prominent health conditions with both biologic age and chronic inflammation as central risk factors. b Prominent health conditions with evidence linking them to gut dysbiosis. Note the similarities between the conditions associated with aging and inflammation and those associated with gut dysbiosis
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Simplified schematic outlining the potential relationships among health risk factors, gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and age-related disease—as well as potential interventions for attenuating gut-associated inflammation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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