Association of Gut Microbiome with Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Muscle Performance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Martin Hubert Mayer (), Selam Woldemariam, Christoph Gisinger and Thomas Ernst Dorner
Additional contact information
Martin Hubert Mayer: Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
Selam Woldemariam: Karl Landsteiner Institute for Health Promotion Research, 3062 Kirchstetten, Austria
Christoph Gisinger: Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, 1160 Vienna, Austria
Thomas Ernst Dorner: Karl Landsteiner Institute for Health Promotion Research, 3062 Kirchstetten, Austria

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Sarcopenia, characterized by reduced muscle mass, strength, or performance, is a common condition in older adults. The association between the gut microbiome and sarcopenia remains poorly understood. This systematic review aims to evaluate the relationship between muscle parameters and the intestinal microbiome. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2002 and 2022 involving participants aged 50+. Studies were included if they assessed sarcopenia using at least one measure of muscle mass (skeletal muscle mass, bioelectrical impedance analysis, MRI), muscle strength, or muscle performance (SARC-F questionnaire, Timed-Up-and-Go Test, Chair Stand Test, grip strength, gait speed, Short Physical Performance Battery, 400 m Walk Test). The microbiome was measured using at least RNA/DNA sequencing or shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Twelve studies were analyzed. Findings revealed that a higher abundance of bacterial species such as Desulfovibrio piger, and Clostridium symbiosum and reduced diversity of butyrate-producing bacteria was associated with sarcopenia severity, as indicated by decreased grip strength, muscle mass, or physical performance. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in age-related muscle loss. Probiotics, prebiotics, and bacterial products could be potential interventions to improve muscle health in older adults.

Keywords: muscle mass; muscle strength; muscle performance; microbiota alterations; sarcopenia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/9/1246/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/9/1246/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:9:p:1246-:d:1482077

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().