Associations Between Walking Speed and Gut Microbiome Composition in Older Men From the MrOS Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Microbiology
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Gut dysbiosis is linked to frailty.
• The association between gut microbiome and early mobility decline is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between gut microbiome composition and walking speed in older men.
• To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between mobility and the gut microbiome.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 740 older men (mean age 84) relating 400m walking speed to gut microbiome.
• Longitudinal analysis of changes in 6m walking speed over 10 years in relation to gut microbiome composition.
• 16S rRNA sequencing was used to determine gut microbiome diversity, taxa abundance, and network structure.

Main Results:

• Faster walking speed was associated with greater gut microbiome alpha-diversity.
• Slower decline in walking speed showed a trend towards higher alpha-diversity.
• Specific bacteria, including Paraprevotella, Fusicatenibacter, and Alistipes, were more abundant in faster walkers and those with less mobility decline.
• Distinct gut microbiome network structures were observed between fast and slow walkers.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest a potential link between gut microbiome diversity and mobility function in older men.
• Higher gut microbiome diversity may be associated with better maintained walking speed over time.