Objective Ageing is accompanied by deterioration of multiple bodily functions and inflammation, which collectively contribute to frailty. We and others have shown that frailty co-varies with alterations in the gut microbiota in a manner accelerated by consumption of a restricted diversity diet. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is associated with health. In the NU-AGE project, we investigated if a 1-year MedDiet intervention could alter the gut microbiota and reduce frailty. Design We profiled the gut microbiota in 612 non-frail or pre-frail subjects across five European countries (UK, France, Netherlands, Italy and Poland) before and after the administration of a 12-month long MedDiet intervention tailored to elderly subjects (NU-AGE diet). Results Adherence to the diet was associated with specific microbiome alterations. Taxa enriched by adherence to the diet were positively associated with several markers of lower frailty and improved cognitive function, and negatively associated with inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein and interleukin-17. Analysis of the inferred microbial metabolite profiles indicated that the diet-modulated microbiome change was associated with an increase in short/branch chained fatty acid production and lower production of secondary bile acids, p-cresols, ethanol and carbon dioxide. Microbiome ecosystem network analysis showed that the bacterial taxa that responded positively to the MedDiet intervention occupy keystone interaction positions, whereas frailty-associated taxa are peripheral in the networks. Conclusion Collectively, our findings support the feasibility of improving the habitual diet to modulate the gut microbiota which in turn has the potential to promote healthier ageing.

中文翻译：

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地中海饮食干预改变老年人的肠道微生物群，减少虚弱并改善健康状况：五个欧洲国家的 NU-AGE 1 年饮食干预


目的 衰老伴随着多种身体功能的恶化和炎症，这些共同导致虚弱。我们和其他人已经证明，虚弱与肠道微生物群的变化共同变化，而限制多样性饮食的摄入会加速这种变化。地中海饮食（MedDiet）与健康相关。在 NU-AGE 项目中，我们研究了为期 1 年的 MedDiet 干预是否可以改变肠道微生物群并减少虚弱。设计 我们对五个欧洲国家（英国、法国、荷兰、意大利和波兰）的 612 名非虚弱或虚弱前期受试者的肠道微生物群进行了分析，在针对老年受试者进行为期 12 个月的 MedDiet 干预之前和之后（NU -AGE饮食）。结果对饮食的坚持与特定微生物组的改变有关。通过坚持饮食而丰富的类群与降低虚弱和改善认知功能的多种标志物呈正相关，与包括 C 反应蛋白和白细胞介素 17 在内的炎症标志物呈负相关。对推断的微生物代谢物谱的分析表明，饮食调节的微生物组变化与短链/支链脂肪酸产量的增加以及次级胆汁酸、对甲酚、乙醇和二氧化碳的产量降低有关。微生物组生态系统网络分析表明，对医疗饮食干预做出积极反应的细菌类群占据了关键的相互作用位置，而与虚弱相关的类群则处于网络的外围。结论 总的来说，我们的研究结果支持改善习惯饮食来调节肠道微生物群的可行性，从而有可能促进更健康的衰老。