Socioeconomic position links circulatory microbiota differences with biological age

Abstract

Imbalanced nutrition is associated with accelerated ageing, possibly mediated by microbiota. An analysis of the circulatory microbiota obtained from the leukocytes of participants in the MRC Twenty-07 general population cohort was performed. We now report that in this cohort, the most biologically aged exhibit a significantly higher abundance of circulatory pathogenic bacteria, including Neisseria, Rothia and Porphyromonas, while those less biologically aged possess more circulatory salutogenic (defined as being supportive of human health and wellbeing) bacteria, including Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae UCG-004 and Kocuria. The presence of these salutogenic bactreria is consistent with a capacity to metabolise and produce Nrf2 agonists. We also demonstrate that associated one carbon metabolism, notably betaine levels, did not vary with chronological age, but displayed a difference with socioeconomic position (SEP). Those at lower SEP possessed significantly lower betaine levels indicative of a poorer diet and poorer health span and consistent with reduced global DNA methylation levels in this group. Our data suggest a clear route to improving age related health and resilience based on dietary modulation of the microbiota.

Figure 1

Changes in elements of one carbon metabolism with chronological and biological age/SEP. Variations in mean TMAO, betaine and choline levels across 3 tertiles of chronological age (a–c). Variations of TMAO, Betaine and Choline levels across two extremes of biological age and SEP, grouped by those that are the least deprived with the longest telomeres (High SEP) and the most deprived with the shortest telomeres (Low SEP) (d–f). Error bars represent standard error of the mean. ANOVA and TukeyHSD tests were performed to generate adjusted p values for multiple comparisons. Where significance occurred between groups, graphs were labeled as follows: p < 0.05 = *, p < 0.01 = **.

Figure 2

Microbial diversity analysis between high and low SEP. (a) and (b) represent alpha diversity and beta diversity indices, respectively. In (b), the ellipses are drawn at 95% confidence interval of standard error.

Figure 3

Differentiated Taxa Analysis showing Log2 changes in discriminant genera between the High and Low SEP groups, where * represents genera identified as being of particular interest. All discriminant genera shown have an adjusted p value < 0.001.