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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.09.02.279778

Calorie Restriction Prevents Age-Related Changes in the Intestinal Microbiota

Abstract

The effect of calorie restriction (CR) on the microbiome, fecal metabolome, and colon transcriptome of adult and old male mice was compared. Life-long CR increased microbial diversity and the Bacteriodetes/Fermicutes ratio and prevented the age-related changes in the microbiota, shifting it to a younger microbial and fecal metabolite profile in both C57BL/6JN and B6D2F1 mice. Old mice fed CR were enriched in the Rikenellaceae, S24-7 and Bacteroides families. The changes in the microbiome that occur with age and CR were initiated in the cecum and further modified in the colon. Short-term CR in adult mice had a minor effect on the microbiome but a major effect on the transcriptome of the colon mucosa. These data suggest that the primary impact of CR is on the physiological status of the gastrointestinal system, maintaining it in a more youthful state, which in turn results in a more diverse and youthful microbiome.

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Kurup, K., Matyi, S., Giles, C. B., Wren, J. D., Jones, K., Ericsson, A., Raftery, D., Wang, L., Promislow, D., Richardson, A., Unnikrishnan, A.. 2020-09-03. Calorie Restriction Prevents Age-Related Changes in the Intestinal Microbiota. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.02.279778

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