ArticleCommunications medicine2025
Oral short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria may be associated with biological age and cognition among the oldest old.
Article in Communications medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Microbiome and aging: Trajectories of microbiome age across human ecosystems and their systemic effects.iMeta · 2026Review
- Clinical translation of salivary MicroAge for understanding the oral-systemic connection in healthy longevity.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBiological age derived from DNA methylation (mAge) reflects aging-related physiological changes and the risk of age-related diseases. However, the association between oral microbiome and mAge remains unclear.
methodsWe examined associations between mAge, physical and cognitive function, and the oral microbiome in 311 community-dwelling, predominantly Chinese adults aged 85 years or older. Oral microbial composition was assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and mAge was estimated using four established epigenetic clocks: HorvathAge, HannumAge, PhenoAge, and GrimAge.
resultsIn this cohort (median chronological age = 88.6 years; median DNA methylation-based biological age = 81.4 years), individuals with lower mAge deviation, corresponding to a younger biological age, exhibit lower oral microbial alpha diversity based on Simpson's index. While no taxa differences reach significance after correction for multiple testing, several short-chain fatty acid-producing genera, such as Prevotella_7 and Veillonella, show nominal associations with both mAge deviation and methylation at aging-related CpG sites, particularly in neurologically relevant genes. Higher abundance of Prevotella_7 species is associated with better cognitive performance (Mini-Mental State Examination), whereas Alloprevotella is linked to poorer cognition.
conclusionOur findings highlight that, as far as we aware, previously unrecognized oral microbiome composition links to lower mAge deviation and better cognitive function among the oldest-old, suggesting a potential role of the oral microbiome in promoting healthy aging and informing future mechanistic investigations.
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Registered trials
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