• First bibliometric analysis (2010–2025) for gut microbiota-frailty. • Clarifies the growth and traits of gut microbiota-frailty research. • Defines research frontiers and new hotspots for gut microbiota-frailty. • Point out the gap in research and provide follow-up research directions. The gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a key modulator of frailty. a systematic bibliometric assessment of this rapidly evolving research domain has been lacking. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map the research landscape, intellectual structure, and thematic trends in the field of gut microbiota and frailty. 1,405 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection(from 2010 to 2025) using bibliometric tools (VOSviewer and CiteSpace). The analysis evaluated annual publication outputs, international collaborations, journal contributions, and thematic evolution, with particular focus on microbiota-specific methodologies (e.g., 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics) and interventions (e.g., probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation). 1405 publications related to gut bacteria and aging have been published. Publication output exhibited exponential growth, increasing from 16 in 2010 to 248 in 2024 (R² = 0.994). The United States(386 papers) and China (n=364 papers) were the most productive countries, whereas European nations—particularly the Netherlands and France—achieved the highest average citation impact. Thematic progression revealed an evolution from early descriptive studies of microbiome composition to mechanistic investigations of host–microbe interactions and, more recently, clinical trials involving dietary and other interventions. Keyword analysis identified central mechanistic themes such as the gut–brain axis, short-chain fatty acids, and inflammatory biomarkers, alongside emerging topics including post-COVID-19 frailty and exercise-based microbiota modulation. Research investigating the association between gut microbiota composition and frailty is expanding rapidly. To advance mechanistic understanding and support clinical translation, future studies should prioritize the integration of multi-omics data and the implementation of rigorously designed randomized controlled trials to establish causal inference and inform evidence-based interventions.
Yan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.