| Summary: | Gut microbiota is closely associated with human health, but limited information is available on the impact of long-term probiotic consumption on age-specific gut microbiota changes. We analyzed the effect of ingesting Lactobacillus casei Zhang (LcZ) on adult and older adult gut microbiota over 12-months in a randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind study. Forty subjects (n = 10 per group) were classified into four groups (adult-placebo, adult-probiotic, older adult-placebo, and older adult-probiotic). Ingesting LcZ benefited the adult and older adult populations differently. Consuming LcZ exerted a faster and stronger gut microbiota stabilizing effect to the adult-probiotic group compared with its placebo group, while such effect was less observed among older adults. Meanwhile, LcZ shifted the gut microbiota age index of the probiotic-receiving but not placebo-receiving older adults to resemble that of the adult population. Furthermore, some novel age-linked markers were identified. Taken altogether, long-term administration of LcZ modulated gut microbiota in an age-dependent manner.
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