Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. 100 years old and the microbiota of a youngster
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo
The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. 100 years old and the microbiota of a youngster
The power of your gut

100 years old and the microbiota of a youngster

Age-related condition
The gut microbiota

A gut microbiota that never ages and whose balance stands the test of time. Is this the secret to centenarians’ longevity, explaining their ability to defy the years and illness? 1

The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your friends might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Photo: 100 ans et un microbiote de jeune premier !

About this article

Created 15 June 2023
Updated 29 June 2023

Some say that growing old is a state of mind. However, a new study by Chinese researchers suggests that the secret to a long and healthy life is to be found in the bellies of those who live to a hundred years or more. To be more precise, the answers can be found in their gut microbiota, i.e. the microbial communities made up of billions of bacteria, viruses, fungi – including yeasts – and parasites that live in the warmth of the digestive system.

Their flora rival that of 20-44-year-olds

There’s no avoiding it: the diversity of our microbiota diminishes with age. However, centenarians are the exception to this rule, since their gut microbiota stays unusually rich for their age. Indeed, it is even richer than that of 44-65-year-olds and 66-85-year-olds. So, while (sidenote: Centenaire  live to the age of 100 or more. ) and  (sidenote: Supercentenaire Supercentenarians live to the age of 110 or more. )  have lived for more than a hundred years, they have the microbiota of young adults.

Another peculiarity of centenarians’ microbiota is the strong presence of bacteria from the phylum (sidenote: Bacteroïdetes Bacteroidetes are one of the gut microbiota’s four major bacterial groups (phyla), together with Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. One of the most common Bacteroidetes in the gut flora is the genus Bacteroides. Zafar H, Saier MH Jr. Gut Bacteroides species in health and disease. Gut Microbes. 2021 Jan-Dec;13(1):1-20. )  compared to seniors aged 66-85 and nonagenarians. However, these beneficial bacteria are usually only found in people under the age of 40 and from this point tend to diminish in favor of other bacteria not always beneficial to our health. At the same time, the flora of centenarians is relatively low in potentially pathogenic bacteria. More beneficial bacteria, less harmful bacteria: is this the magic potion centenarians use to keep illness at bay? Perhaps. In any case, numerous specific characteristics seem to serve as signatures for their exceptional longevity and healthy aging.

Prevalence

In 2021, there were 593,000 centenarians worldwide :

  • including 132,000 in Japan (0.11% of population),
  • 90,000 in the USA (0.03%),
  • 29,000 in Thailand (0.04%),
  • 27,000 in France (0.04%),
  • 20,000 in Germany (0.02%),
  • 18,000 in Italy (0.03%)
  • and 14,000 in Spain (0.03%).

In the year 2000 there were around 170,000 people aged a hundred and over. This number is expected to exceed 20 million by 2100.2,3

Longevity, a question of balance

One last particularity identified by the researchers was that the gut microbiota of centenarians is very balanced in terms of species distribution, with no single bacterium taking the lion’s share to the detriment of others. Rather than declining over time, this relative uniformity in the abundance of the various bacterial species – already incredible when you’ve seen a hundred years – instead seems to consolidate. It may even ensure the stability over time of centenarians’ gut flora and its continued richness in Bacteroidetes. Could this be the key to a long and healthy life?

Sources

1. Pang S, Chen X, Lu Z et al. Longevity of centenarians is reflected by the gut microbiome with youth-associated signatures. Nat Aging. 2023 Apr;3(4):436-449.

2. United Nations, https://population.un.org/wpp/

3. https://www.statista.com/chart/18826/number-of-hundred-year-olds-centenarians-worldwide/ 

Tags
Elderly Aging Dysbiosis Microbiome Flora

    See also

    Centenarians: does the secret of their longevity lie in the gut microbiota?
    Is the gut microbiota the new secret of youth?
    Created 15 June 2023
    Updated 29 June 2023

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Age-related condition

    Related microbiotas

    The gut microbiota
    The power of your gut

    Microbiotalk : short conferences on antimicrobial resistance

    Breaking the silence: a global conversation on antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AM...

    Find out more

    Functional dyspepsia

    Despite its strange-sounding name, functional dyspepsia is a common digestive disorder. Characteristi...

    Find out more

    The gut microbiota

    Gut microbiota: why is it that important for your health? We have trillions1 of bacteria that po...

    Find out more

    Travelers’ diarrhea

    It's not what you think... Notice to globetrotters and travelers who’ve fallen victim to the dreaded...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplant: a promising route?

    This will surprise more than one person: using stool for therapeutic purposes did not start yesterday...

    Find out more

    Expert Interview : Dr Julie Lemale

    Dr. Julie Lemale is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Armand Trousseau Hospital (AP-HP, Paris) an...

    Find out more

    Probiotics, a promising solution?

    Probiotics are “live microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts) that, upon ingestion in sufficient concentrati...

    Find out more

    Expert interview : Pr Patrice D. Cani

    Modulating the gut microbiota: effective for losing weight? While the study of gut microbiota opens ...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    13.05.2025

    When sodas harm your microbiota and your health

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    Downside of fruit and vegetable juices for gut health

    Read the article
    Allergies : et si tout venait du microbiote ?
    28.03.2023

    Allergies: and what if it all started with the microbiota?

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Sensibles à l’E466 ? Votre microbiote a son mot à dire
    15.04.2025

    Sensitive to E466? Your microbiota plays a role

    Read the article
    23.04.2024

    Bacterial diarrhea: the only case where antibiotics can be used

    Read the article
    Patients stories - logo
    21.11.2022

    Patients stories: living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Bière sans alcool, le microbiote intestinal en raffole !
    15.10.2019

    Non-alcoholic beer: the gut microbiota just loves it!

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Le régime méditerranéen contre la fragilité des seniors ?
    28.05.2020

    Does the Mediterranean diet protect the elderly against frailty?

    Read the article
    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo
    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish

    Browse the site

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the microbiota community and receive "The Essentials" once a month to stay up to date with the latest news on the microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    13.05.2025

    When sodas harm your microbiota and your health

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    Downside of fruit and vegetable juices for gut health

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Sensibles à l’E466 ? Votre microbiote a son mot à dire
    15.04.2025

    Sensitive to E466? Your microbiota plays a role

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community and receive once a month “The Essential” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo