The changes of gut microbiota associated with age and lifestyle
The article provides an overview of the current literature summarizing experimental and clinical data on the role of intestinal microbiota and its changes associated with age and lifestyle. The normal intestinal microbiota performs several important functions: involved in energy metabolism, provides formation and maintenance of local mucosal immune system, is the source of some vitamins, regulates the reabsorption of bile acids in the intestine, sex hormones, cholesterol, participates in the water-electrolyte balance, and etc. Intestinal microbiota is an indicator of host status in response to age, physiological, dietary, climatic and geographical factors, changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition. All these changes affect the development of chronic low grade inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic abnormalities that are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and the development of the phenotype of aging in clinical practice. Obviously, maintaining normal homeostasis and optimal metabolism is impossible without restoration of normal intestinal microbial associations.