What Is the Key to Japanese Centenarians’ Long Lives?

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Data from people who live well over 100 years have revealed a unique gut microbiome community that affects bile acids.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Data from a group of centenarians whose average age was 107 revealed gut microbiota that include Odoribacteraceae, which reliably produces a bile acid called isoallo-lithocholic acid, are important to preventing illness
• A strong balance of beneficial gut microbiota may also help lower chronic inflammation, which is associated with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, frailty and early death
• Eating probiotic fermented foods to seed your gut microbiome and prebiotic foods rich in insoluble fiber to nourish the beneficial bacteria is an important strategy to benefit your health and wellness
• More ways to optimize your gut health are to eliminate sugar, implement a cyclical ketogenic diet and use antibiotics sparingly. Fasting is another strategy that helps support autophagy, boost growth hormone and burn calories

Researchers from Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan, recently released data after studying the gut microbiome of centenarians living in Japan. What they discovered was a unique bacterium that produced a type of bile acid, which seemed to be common to most of the study participants.