The intestinal microbiome has quickly become one of the main topics of study in the biological field and not a day goes by that new research is not produced in this regard. A new study, published in Experimental Gerontology, indicates that bacteria that live in the intestine can also be involved in the mechanisms that regulate muscle strength in the elderly.

The relationship between the intestinal microbiome and muscle mass and in general with physical functions is gaining more and more importance in the last few years since it was discovered that bacteria in the intestine are much more influential than ever thought. The researchers behind this study compared the bacteria in the intestines of 18 elderly people with high physical function and low percentages of fat mass and 11 elderly people with less favorable body data.

They also colonized the intestines of various mice with fecal samples taken from these two groups of humans. Researchers first found higher levels of bacteria such as Prevotellaceae, Prevotella, Barnesiella and Barnesiella intestinihominis in the 18 elderly people with good levels of physical function and fat mass and in mice colonized with fecal samples taken from them.

“While we were surprised not to have identified a role for the intestinal microbiome in maintaining body composition, with these results we now begin to understand the role of intestinal bacteria in maintaining muscle strength in the elderly,” says Michael Lustgarten, a researcher at the HNRCA Institute of Tufts University.