A team led by Zheng Jusheng of Westlake University in China recently conducted a systematic review of the gut microbiome characteristics, metabolic mechanisms, and progress in the identification of probiotic resources among longevity cohorts both in China and abroad, with the aim of advancing precision intervention research in the field of healthy aging. The “youthful” characteristics observed in the gut microbiomes of long-lived individuals—increased α-diversity, enrichment of beneficial bacteria, metabolic pathway reorientation leading to the production of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant metabolites, and synergistic changes between fungal and bacterial communities—provide an ideal model for developing probiotics derived from the sources of longevity and personalized intervention strategies. The current study aims to integrate multi-omics evidence from large-scale Chinese cohorts and international cohorts, and for the first time incorporates the fungal microbiota into the review framework of the microbiome in long-lived individuals. It elucidates the protective reprogramming network formed by short-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, antioxidant metabolites, and amino acid-derived molecules from the perspective of metabolic network interactions.
The team published this review article in the journal Microbiology China on September 7, 2026.
“In this review, we systematically compared the design differences and microbiome findings across domestic and international longevity cohorts, focusing on the protective characteristics of bacterial and fungal communities, metabolic pathways, and derived metabolites. “This paper not only summarizes progress in resource discovery and functional validation of traditional probiotics and next-generation probiotics (such as Akkermansia ) derived from long-lived individuals, but also proposes a research paradigm ranging from association discovery to causal validation and clinical translation, while exploring precision intervention pathways that combine the advantages of large-scale Chinese cohorts with AI-assisted screening,” said Zheng Jusheng, corresponding author of the review article, professor at the School of Medicine at Westlake University, and associate dean of the School of Future Biomedicine.
The gut microbiome is a complex microbial ecosystem colonizing the human gut, whose composition and function undergo significant changes with age. The gut microbiome of long-lived individuals does not simply decline but exhibits a protective pattern of “stability plus adaptive rearrangement”: bacterial communities maintain a youthful balance, fungal communities change in coordination with bacteria, and metabolic pathways are redirected to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant metabolites. These characteristics make long-lived individuals an ideal natural model for studying the mechanisms of healthy aging.
This review summarizes key advances in recent years regarding the microbiome of long-lived individuals, covering Chinese cohorts such as CLHLS, HABCS, CHCCS, Guangxi, and Jiaoling, as well as international cohorts including Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), and New England (USA). “From bacteria to fungi, and from metabolites to probiotic resources, the gut microbiome of long-lived individuals provides multi-level targets for precision interventions. For example, Akkermansia muciniphila is consistently enriched across multiple longevity cohorts; the secondary bile acid derivative isoalloLCA shows potential for anti-inflammatory effects and inhibiting pathogenic bacteria; and strains such as Lactobacillus plantarum LP124 and Lactobacillus casei LTL1361, derived from centenarians, have demonstrated cognitive-enhancing, antioxidant, and gut barrier-repairing effects in animal models,” explained Zheng Jusheng.
However, research on the longevity microbiome still faces challenges: insufficient causal validation, lagging research on the fungal microbiome, and weak evidence for clinical translation. To address this, the research team proposes that future efforts should strengthen longitudinal multi-omics integration, conduct randomized controlled trials, promote the standardized production and safety evaluation of probiotics derived from long-lived individuals, and accelerate the development of personalized intervention products through AI-assisted screening.
The research team hopes this review will advance the study of the microbiome in long-lived populations from descriptive characterization toward mechanistic analysis and clinical translation, providing scientific solutions for healthy aging based on evidence from Chinese populations. “In the future, with the advancement of longitudinal multi-omics cohorts and AI predictive models, the precise identification of longevity resources will accelerate, ultimately achieving the goal of healthy longevity through the remodeling of the gut microbiome,” Zheng Jusheng stated.
This study was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2025M782522) and the “Pioneer” and “Leading goose” R&D Program of Zhejiang (2024SSYS0032, 2024SSYS0035).
Microbiology China
10.13344/j.microbiol.china.260355
Research advances in the gut microbiome characteristics, mechanisms, and resource exploration in cohorts of long-lived individuals
20-Oct-2026