The bacterial population in your gut—called the microbiome—gets a lot of attention. It’s linked with overall health, mood, digestion, inflammation, and more. And now it’s being linked with longevity. New research published in Cell Reports suggests that advancing age changes the makeup of the microbiome in the intestine. It infers that if we can potentially zero in on certain bacteria, longevity may be increased. It’s extremely important to note that this new research suggests an association between the microbiome and longevity and doesn’t prove cause and effect. A ton of research still needs to be done to see if, and how, these associations might be manipulated. To arrive at their conclusion, researchers looked at microbial changes that occurred in the small intestine with chronological age, medication use, and disease in people aged 18 to 80. They found that when people got older, the type of bacteria in their small intestines …