Want to Age Better? Start With This Overlooked Body Part

Want to know what the longest-lived people on Earth have in common? It’s strange but true: bacteria.

It might seem hard to believe, but the microbes living inside these individuals have a powerful impact on healthy aging. A 2023 study published in Nature Aging analyzed gut microbiome data from nearly 1,600 people ranging in age from 20 to 117—yes, 117—including 297 people who lived until at least 100 years old.

The growing body of research connecting gut health to everything from signs of a healthy gut to disease prevention is reshaping how doctors think about aging.

Keep reading this article on The Healthy.