Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #364052
Title: Gut microbiota contribute to age-related changes in skeletal muscle size, composition, and function: biological basis for a gut-muscle axis

Author
item GROSICKI, GREGORY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item FIELDING, ROGER - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item LUSTGARTEN, MICHAEL - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Calcified Tissue International
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2017
Publication Date: 4/1/2018
Citation: Grosicki, G.J., Fielding, R.A., Lustgarten, M.S. 2018. Gut microbiota contribute to age-related changes in skeletal muscle size, composition, and function: biological basis for a gut-muscle axis. Calcified Tissue International. 102(4):433-442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-017-0345-5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-017-0345-5

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue that plays a central role in human health and disease. Aging is associated with a decrease in muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) that is associated with a loss of independence and reduced quality of life. Gut microbiota, the bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microbes residing in the gastrointestinal tract are emerging as a potential contributor to age-associated muscle decline. Specifically, advancing age is characterized by a dysbiosis of gut microbiota that is associated with increased intestinal permeability, facilitating the passage of endotoxin and other microbial products (e.g., indoxyl sulfate) into the circulation. Upon entering the circulation, LPS and other microbial factors promote inflammatory signaling and skeletal muscle changes that are hallmarks of the aging muscle phenotype. This review will summarize existing literature suggesting cross-talk between gut microbiota and skeletal muscle health, with emphasis on the significance of this axis for mediating changes in aging skeletal muscle size, composition, and function.