Sex-Specific Aging Patterns of Gut Microbiota in Urban Chinese Adults: Guild-Based Analysis and Implications for Healthy Aging.

ABSTRACT: Gut microbial stability typically decreases with physiological aging. This decline may vary between sexes and can potentially be mitigated by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Microbial guilds, defined as functionally coherent groups of bacteria, may serve as meaningful ecological indicators of aging. This study included 2944 participants aged 51-89 years from the Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Studies. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and a guild-based approach, we evaluated the associations between gut microbiota and age in 1353 relatively healthy individuals. We found that women demonstrated a decline in the Chao1 index, an increase in Pielou evenness, and a remarkable shift in Bray-Curtis distance, whereas men exhibited an increase in Bray-Curtis uniqueness. Of the 45 age-related guilds i

SUBMITTER: Fu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507401 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature