Life-extending… viruses found in the intestines of centenarians. At the same time, its carriers remained in good health and full of energy even in old age.
The billions of bacteria and various other microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal tract affect our memory, body weight, mood, and the presence of disease. A lot is known about bacteria, but the intestinal virome, which is made up of natural viruses, has been studied much less.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen studied the viromes of 176 healthy Japanese centenarians to understand which bacteriophages (viruses that eat bacteria) give these people a unique opportunity to maintain good health into old age.
Scientists mapped gut bacteria and bacteriophages. It turned out that centenarians have a more diverse and vir-rich intestine compared to younger people, and there is also a huge biological diversity of bacteria.
At the same time, viruses living in the intestines are able to strengthen the bacteria with which they come into contact, positively affecting human health. By visiting a bacterium, the virus accelerates the transformation of certain molecules and thus stabilizes the intestinal flora, which counteracts inflammatory processes. The results have inspired scientists in the future to find out whether it is possible to move bacteria and viruses from the body of centenarians to people who do not have them in order to extend the life of the latter, writes BB.LV.
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