Characteristics of the Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Profile in Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is an age-related manifestation characterized by a pathological loss of skeletal muscle mass and remarkable reductions in muscular strength and function. Emerging evidence shows that the ecological imbalance of gut microflora is an important environmental factor that causes sarcopenia. However, the corresponding syndrome of sarcopenia cannot be concluded to stem from gut microbiota in human senescence due to controversial findings of the linkage of gut microbiota and pathophysiological changes in the host. We conducted a prospective observational study to elaborate the microbiome and metabolome characteristics of hospitalized elderly sarcopenic patients. We aimed to reveal the changes in intestinal flora and metabolites in elderly patients with sarcopenia and to uncover the potential correlation between intestinal flora and clinical indicators.