A cross-sectional study of the gut microbiota composition in Moscow long-livers

The aim was to assess the gut microbiota in long livers from (LL) Moscow. The study included two groups of patients who sign the consent to participate. The group of LL included 20 participants aged 97-100 years (4 men). The second group included 22 participants aged 60-76 years (6 men) without clinical manifestations of chronic diseases (healthy elderly, HE). Gut microbiota was studied by 16S rRNA sequencing. LL underwent a complex geriatric assessment as well as expanded blood biochemistry. Gut microbiota composition in the cohorts was also compared with microbiome in LL from Japan and Italy. Russian LL microbiome contained more beneficial bacteria than HE including Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, Lactobacillaceae families. Conditional pathogens like Veillonellaceae, Mogibacteriaceae, Alcaligenaceae, Peptococcaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae were more abundant in HE. Compared with Italian and Japanese microbiome LL appeared to be more similar to Italian cohort. Bifidobacterium/Coprococcus and Faecalibacterium/Coprococcus balances were associated with femoral and carotid intima-media thickness respectively. Bifidobacterium/Coriobacteriaceae balance was associated with folic acid level and Faecalibacterium/Coriobacteriaceae_u with Mini Nutritional Assessment score. LL microbiome appeared to be unexpectedly balanced. High representation of beneficial bacteria in LL may prevent them from low-grade inflammation and thus protect them from the development of atherosclerosis and other aging-associated conditions.