Gut Microbiome and Age-Related Diseases

The gut microbiome (community of microorganisms) has a great influence on human physiology both in a healthy state and in pathologies. It can affect human health either directly (by secreting biologically active substances such as vitamins, bacteriocins, essential amino acids, lipids, etc.) or indirectly (by modulating metabolic processes and the immune system). The composition of microbiota is determined by the genetic predisposition and microbiome received in childhood from the mother and from the environment, which can change during life under the influence of external and internal factors. The human microbiome undergoes the most noticeable deviations in infancy and then in old age, when the immune system is also in the weakest and most unstable state, which can lead to the development of different pathologies. The use of probiotics and prebiotics is recommended when correcting different pathological conditions and when used in a complex treatment of diseases. The development of test systems of biologically active substances affecting the human microbiome allows us to determine the biological activity of individual strains and to design new generation drugs to extend healthy longevity. Such developments are one more step towards personalized medicine.