Fascinating as always, Scott. I envy your ability to present science in such an engaging and entertaining way, yet at the same time so comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date. The microbiome is the discovery of the century; it’s everywhere and plays a role in everything. We are carriers of a veritable zoo, and we hadn’t even noticed it. There is a Spanish philosopher, Ortega y Gasset, who said, "Yo soy yo y mis circunstancias" (“I am myself and my circumstances”). If he were alive today, he would say, “I am myself and my microbiota.”😉
Gingivalis toxicity and correlation to Alzeheimers is interesting. How does one incur Gingivalis? Kissing? Bad food? Breathed/coughed on? Dog licks? Gardening?
I've just finished antibiotics so now having sauerkraut, veg and fruits, kerfir, kombucha, yoghurt and rye bread. Are commercial probiotics worth buying? Thankyou.
Beetroot and Turmeric are good, and dandelion. The Gingivitis leads ultimately to senescent cells in the brain which needs to be cleaned out. Fasting is a good way to initiate the process which leads to removing them. Pls note this is not professional advice.
Another really good and cheap thing to remember is take / eat a lot of vitamin C - it helps neutralise inflammation, infection and viruses, and not only that, it will increase the efficacy but decrease toxicity to the liver of any drug. Some would point out that the signs of ageing are very similar to the signs of vitamin C deficiency. 🍊
Such a strong overview of why the microbiome is best thought of as a metabolic and immune organ that co-regulates inflammation, barrier integrity, and nutrient signaling, all of which map directly onto aging biology. I appreciated the emphasis on mechanisms (SCFAs like butyrate, bile acid metabolism, immune training, gut permeability) rather than the usual probiotic hype.
The most important takeaway is also the most sobering: we’re still early on causality. Many microbiome signatures of longevity may reflect healthier diets, activity, medications, and environments, so translating associations into interventions is hard. That said, the directionally reliable levers remain refreshingly unsexy: diverse fiber-rich plants, fermented foods if tolerated, minimizing unnecessary antibiotics, good sleep/exercise, and addressing constipation/oral health, because transit time and upstream microbial inputs matter.
If there’s a frontier worth watching, it’s precision approaches that match function (metabolites, pathways) rather than just taxa, plus well-designed trials of prebiotics/synbiotics and targeted postbiotics where outcomes are clinically meaningful, not just microbiome diversity went up.
Fascinating as always, Scott. I envy your ability to present science in such an engaging and entertaining way, yet at the same time so comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date. The microbiome is the discovery of the century; it’s everywhere and plays a role in everything. We are carriers of a veritable zoo, and we hadn’t even noticed it. There is a Spanish philosopher, Ortega y Gasset, who said, "Yo soy yo y mis circunstancias" (“I am myself and my circumstances”). If he were alive today, he would say, “I am myself and my microbiota.”😉
Informative, interesting read,
Thank you!
Gingivalis toxicity and correlation to Alzeheimers is interesting. How does one incur Gingivalis? Kissing? Bad food? Breathed/coughed on? Dog licks? Gardening?
I've just finished antibiotics so now having sauerkraut, veg and fruits, kerfir, kombucha, yoghurt and rye bread. Are commercial probiotics worth buying? Thankyou.
Beetroot and Turmeric are good, and dandelion. The Gingivitis leads ultimately to senescent cells in the brain which needs to be cleaned out. Fasting is a good way to initiate the process which leads to removing them. Pls note this is not professional advice.
Another really good and cheap thing to remember is take / eat a lot of vitamin C - it helps neutralise inflammation, infection and viruses, and not only that, it will increase the efficacy but decrease toxicity to the liver of any drug. Some would point out that the signs of ageing are very similar to the signs of vitamin C deficiency. 🍊
eeeugh re Gingivitis 😖
I love that picture though, it is defo a notorious offender!
Here is a really comprehensive review of the rest of the symptoms and caused of ageing in our hazardous ecosystems
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01377-0
Such a strong overview of why the microbiome is best thought of as a metabolic and immune organ that co-regulates inflammation, barrier integrity, and nutrient signaling, all of which map directly onto aging biology. I appreciated the emphasis on mechanisms (SCFAs like butyrate, bile acid metabolism, immune training, gut permeability) rather than the usual probiotic hype.
The most important takeaway is also the most sobering: we’re still early on causality. Many microbiome signatures of longevity may reflect healthier diets, activity, medications, and environments, so translating associations into interventions is hard. That said, the directionally reliable levers remain refreshingly unsexy: diverse fiber-rich plants, fermented foods if tolerated, minimizing unnecessary antibiotics, good sleep/exercise, and addressing constipation/oral health, because transit time and upstream microbial inputs matter.
If there’s a frontier worth watching, it’s precision approaches that match function (metabolites, pathways) rather than just taxa, plus well-designed trials of prebiotics/synbiotics and targeted postbiotics where outcomes are clinically meaningful, not just microbiome diversity went up.