Research has shown that measurements of metabolic health can be used to evaluate the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In China, researchers have found that metabolic health can be characterized by the presence and abundance of certain microbes in the gut microbiome. Age is also associated with specific characteristics of the microbiome, with people who have microbiomes associated with younger metrics being less likely to experience cardiovascular disease. These findings have been verified across Chinese, European, and American cohorts, with scientists noting the correlation between age, metabolism, and the microbiome.
The gut microbiome is a population of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that plays a role in digestion, as well as other processes such as nerve signaling, immune response, and hormone regulation. Changes in the microbiome can impact cardiovascular disease risk by producing metabolites like TMAO and SCFAs, modulating inflammation and immune responses, influencing metabolism, regulating blood pressure, and altering cholesterol absorption. As people age, changes in their immune system, diet, lifestyle, and gut function can alter the gut microbiome, affecting overall health and disease risk.
Researchers in China developed an age-related and metabolism-related microbial signature based on investigations in a cohort of over 10,000 Chinese individuals, which they then validated on another cohort of over 9,000 people. They discovered that individuals in the obesity and hyperglycemia clusters were significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease compared to those in the healthy cluster. By characterizing the gut microbiome of participants, researchers found certain overlapping characteristics in individuals with metabolic multimorbidity clusters, as well as differences between the microbiomes of younger and older individuals.
Further analysis showed that a younger gut microbial age was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. The authors of the study suggest that targeting the microbiome could potentially be a way to prevent cardiovascular disease in older adults who are not metabolically healthy. Other professionals have noted that gut microbiome health can play a significant role in reducing the impacts of aging on the body, although more research is needed to understand the variations in microbial species among individuals from different countries.
Evidence from other studies has shown that gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance of bacterial populations in the gut, is linked to various inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular disease. Dysbiosis has also been associated with inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The question of whether dysbiosis causes these conditions or is caused by them remains a core issue in the field of microbiome research.
