The gut microbiome is key to healthy aging.
We all experience physical and cognitive age-related decline – which can begin as early as age 30! But the onset and rate of this decline could depend heavily on your gut microbiome. “Healthy aging” – or delayed age-related decline – is something we all aspire to and focusing on your gut microbial health might be the key to achieving it.
An April 2022 review article published in Nature Review Gastroenterology & Hepatology highlights research showing a dynamic relationship between the gut microbiome and aging. Age-related diseases alter the gut microbiome, yet at the same time, specific microbial communities and characteristics are strongly associated with healthy aging. Scientists believe that by using lifestyle interventions, specific characteristics can be cultivated in the gut microbiome to make healthy aging possible.
The lifestyle interventions highlighted in the study include:
• Dietary changes consisting of a mostly plant-based diet high in indigestible fiber
• Limiting medications that alter the gut microbiome such as antibiotics, NSAIDs, and acid blockers
• Increasing social contact and interaction which improves your microbiome and your longevity
