Bile Acid and Gut Microbiota Alterations in Aging, 200 Participants

A cross-sectional study of 200 participants (100 elderly, 100 young) conducted by Yumei Xu, with data last updated in April 2026. The dataset contains measurements of fecal and serum bile acids, gut microbiota composition, and cytokine levels. It was created to investigate associations between bile acid metabolism, gut microbiota, and markers of inflammation and intestinal barrier function during aging.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between bile acid profiles and inflammatory markers like IL-6 and TNF-α based on the study results.
• Model associations between gut microbiota composition (e.g., 7α-dehydroxylating bacteria) and bile acid ratios (primary/secondary) described in the dataset.
• Investigate potential biomarkers of intestinal barrier dysfunction (e.g., LPS, P21) in relation to specific bile acid changes such as reduced unconjugated primary BAs.
• Explore statistical relationships between age-related shifts in the 12α-OH/non-12α-OH bile acid ratio and other measured variables.

Strengths

• Includes data from 200 participants, providing a case-control comparison of 100 elderly and 100 young individuals.
• Measurements were obtained using specific, high-resolution methods: LC-MS/MS for bile acids and 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbiota.
• Analyzes multiple biological layers: bile acids (fecal and serum), microbiota composition, and cytokine levels (ELISA).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The cross-sectional design, noted in the description, means causal relationships cannot be established from this data.

Provenance

Source

Yumei Xu via figshare

Collection Method

Data collected from human participants; bile acids quantified by LC-MS/MS, microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing, cytokines by ELISA.

Time Range

The study period is not specified, but the dataset was updated in April 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-15 05:42:22; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Geographic coverage of the participant cohort is not specified.