Few scientific insights in recent years have rattled the gates of the medical community as vigorously as research on the gut microbiome’s role in our overall health. We now know that, beyond its ability to churn our digestive process, this vast community of microbes influences our immune and respiratory systems as well as our cognitive and mental health. So, we shouldn’t be surprised by the results of three new studies that suggest what happens in our guts also may affect how we age.

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In August, a team of Italian researchers published a paper describing how a certain mix of microbes in the gut could affect the proteins in the blood that trigger inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and even macular degeneration. “Changes in the gut microbiota influence various aspects of both gut and systemic immune and inflammatory responses, suggesting a link to the age-related decline in cardiovascular and immune function, often referred to as immune aging, immunosenescence, or inflammaging,” lead study author Federica Grosso, MD, writes in the journal Aging-US.

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Grosso and her colleagues analyzed the data from 19 studies focusing on specific age-related illnesses and identified 91 specific instances in which a particular bacterial mix in the gut was associated with an increased risk of a particular disease. Macular degeneration, for instance, was linked to higher levels of coriobacteriaceae, and heart disease was more likely to develop when enterobacteria microbes caused lower levels of a certain protective protein.

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Researchers also concluded that the effects of the gut’s microbial mix may vary by blood type. People with blood type A, for example, may be more vulnerable to certain microbes that influence proteins associated with inflammation and cardiovascular health. Their findings suggest that clinicians may need to look beyond the gut microbiome and consider genetic factors, such as blood type, when managing age-related conditions.

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Still, there’s more work to be done, Grosso admits. “While our analyses are robust and the results compelling, we were unable to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms driving the observed causal relationships,” she writes. “Therefore, any clinical application aimed at microbiome modulation remains premature.”

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What we can do, according to a Stanford University study released last week, is monitor more closely the prescription drugs we’re feeding to the microbes in our guts — because they may create an unhealthy microbiome.

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Researchers tested 707 common medications on the microbe collections from nine fecal samples and found that 141 of the drugs disrupted the microbial mix in the gut. Some species were completely eviscerated, creating an environment that could trigger inflammation and other unhealthy consequences.

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“The winners and losers among our gut bacteria can often be predicted by understanding how sensitive they are to the medications and how they compete for food,” explains lead study author Handuo Shi, PhD. “In other words, drugs don’t just kill bacteria; they also reshuffle the ‘buffet’ in our gut, and that reshuffling shapes which bacteria win.”

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Antibiotics are the primary culprit, of course, but Shi also cites a particular antidepressant as messing with the microbial mix. What’s missing, however, is a comprehensive list of medications — or even classes of drugs — that may disrupt the gut’s population. For that, we’ll have to rely on a September study from the University of Tartu in Estonia, which found that long-term use of a wide range of medications, including beta-blockers, protein-pump inhibitors, and steroids, contributed to a disrupted microbiome. The effects, the authors note, can linger for years after participants stopped using the drugs.

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“Also, the drug burden is usually higher in older age groups,” the authors write in the journal mSystems, “so it can be expected that the microbiome in the older populations is even more affected.”

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My current pharmaceutical consumption doesn’t include any of the above medications, but current research offers little comfort. The calcium channel blocker I’ve been taking, for example, may or may not be a problem. Some studies suggest it can remedy an imbalanced gut; others argue that it may disrupt it.

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All this can create a bit of a conundrum for those of us who rely on pharmaceutical remedies to manage various chronic conditions. In some cases, these drugs can save lives. So, we’re all caught in that murky territory between their salutary effects and their potential side effects. We can, as some experts advise, monitor those side effects and consult with our physicians to regulate the dosages, but it’s hard to know at this point to what extent such manipulation would affect the mysterious microbial collection in our guts.

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“If we can understand and model the ecosystem response,” says Shi, “we could one day choose drugs and accompanying diets or probiotics not only based on how well they treat a disease, but also on how they preserve or promote a healthy microbiome.”

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We’re not there yet, so it’s probably not worth worrying too much about it. Anxiety, after all, can lead to an upset stomach — and who knows what else.

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This was originally written by Craig Cox for Experience Life.