Good Viruses and Centenarians: The Surprising Link to Healthy Aging

“Housing the good viruses” can be added to the list of activities that support healthy aging along with regular exercise, maintaining a reasonable weight, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress and anxiety, according to a report published by renowned nutritionist Dr. Michael. Mosley in the British “Daily Mail”.

A recent study of centenarians from Japan and Italian Sardinia, which have the highest percentages of people living to 100 or more, Mosley says, suggests there’s a surprising new reason why centenarians enjoy good health during old age.

Mosley adds that it has always been assumed that the longevity of populations in Japan and Sardinia is mainly related to food and lifestyle, but now it appears that harboring good viruses in the gut can make a difference, too.

Caring for elderly parents

“benign” viruses

In a study, recently published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University in the US studied stool samples collected from nearly 200 centenarians from these two regions. The researchers analyzed the samples for evidence of associations between the participants’ gut microbiomes. and their longevity.

Moseley points out that the study’s findings found that, compared to people in their 60s, centenarians had a larger pool of “good” bacteria – and also a greater number of “good” viruses.

The reason why viruses are not known

Some people may be surprised when they know that there are many viruses and fungi that live in the human gut, along with bacteria that many people have been reading about recently, and while it is believed that viruses are harmful to humans, especially since they actually cause a group of bad diseases, most of them do not cause diseases, but rather It can be healthy.

Viruses are tiny, about 100 times smaller than bacteria, which partly explains their difficulty in studying them. This could be one reason why there is so much less interest in viruses that live in human guts than in bacteria that are much larger and more prominent.

Gut bacteria (iStock)

Pivotal benefits

At least some viruses attack and kill “bad” bacteria, the kind that can cause harmful infections in the intestines. These viruses are known as “bacteriophages”, and they are very common and are increasingly being used in the medical community as an alternative to antibiotics, especially when related to It is important to treat drug-resistant infections of the skin and intestines, especially since, unlike antibiotics, bacteria do not appear to be able to develop resistance against them.

Hydrogen sulfide gas

The researchers believe that in addition to killing harmful microbes, some of the viruses in the guts of centenarians are also good at creating hydrogen sulfide gas.

Protection from toxins and harmful bacteria

On the surface, the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas does not look like a good thing because it smells like rotten eggs. Surprisingly, though, hydrogen sulfide smells bad outdoors, when it’s produced in the gut, it has a lot of potential benefits, chief among which is that it helps maintain the lining of the intestine, which is a barrier of stacked cells. It is tightly packed that allows the body to absorb nutrients, and also prevents bacteria and toxins from leaking into the blood, to protect against chronic inflammation, which in turn is a major driver of diseases of aging, such as arthritis, heart disease, dementia and cancer.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

Mosley explains that hydrogen sulfide also has powerful direct positive anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may explain why studies show it plays an important role in maintaining the health of the brain, heart, liver and other organs.

In small doses, hydrogen sulfide has also been shown to improve the efficiency of mitochondria, which act as “batteries” in the cells of the human body, which in turn indicates that they contribute to improved energy and cell health.

vegetables and fruits

fruits and vegetables

The best thing to do, Mosley advises, is to focus on foods and drinks that have already been shown to benefit overall health as well as the health of a good microbiome, which means eating plenty of fibre-rich fruits, vegetables and legumes, including plenty of sulfur-rich vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale. , which helps to promote the internal production of hydrogen sulfide.

Gardening and friends

Mosley adds that gardening is another great way to cultivate good gut microbes, as it puts a person in close contact with natural soil, which is rich in it. Close contact with natural soil, along with exercise and spending time outdoors, can be one reason for gardeners’ longevity.

He concludes his report advising spending more time with loved ones and friends as another proven way to help live a healthy and happy old age. Many close friends have richer and more diverse microbiomes than those who lived alone or were socially isolated.

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