Gut microbial features and circulating metabolomic signatures of frailty in older adults

Abstract

Frailty, a multidimensional indicator of suboptimal aging, reflects cumulative declines across multiple physiological systems. Although age-related changes have been reported in gut microbiota, their role in healthy aging remains unclear. In this study, we calculated frailty index (FI) from 33 health-related items to reflect the overall health status of 1,821 older adults (62–96 years, 55% female) and conducted multi-omics analysis using gut metagenomic sequencing data and plasma metabolomic data. We identified 18 microbial species and 17 metabolites shifted along with frailty severity, with stronger links observed in females. The associations of nine species, including various Clostridium species and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, with FI were reproducible in two external populations. Plasma glycerol levels, white blood cell count and kidney function partially mediated these associations. A composite microbial score derived from FI significantly predicted 2-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio across extreme quartiles, 2.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.38–5.93), highlighting the potential of microbiota-based strategies for risk stratification in older adults. This study reveals gut microbial and metabolomic features associated with the severity of frailty, demonstrating that these microbial features outperform traditional assessment tools in identifying individuals at high risk of frailty and mortality.