You are what you eat

Globally, life expectancy is rising and is anticipated to reach the mid-seventies by 2050.

The percentage of people over 65 in the industrialised world has climbed by more than 10% during the past ten years. Furthermore, by 2030, it is anticipated to rise by more than 20%.

The proper functioning of our neurological, endocrine and immunological systems and interactions between these systems and the gut microbiota is essential for maintaining health as we age.

However, as people age, these systems change which leads to a decrease in all the functional capacities of our organs.

This phenomenon is known as "inflammaging," which is associated with a low-grade inflammatory state and is responsible for various age-related chronic pathological illnesses.

Immunosenescence is the term used to describe physiological immune function losses that can affect cellular and adaptive immunity, age-related oxidative stress, a low-grade inflammatory state, and intestinal dysbiosis.

Overall, disturbed gut microbiota and frailty in the elderly may be related to immunosenescence.

How do probiotics influence ageing?

Elderly people have impaired microbiota composition and gut immune response. The diversity of the microbiota appears to be declining in older persons. It can be caused by decreasing immune system health, different food habits, or decreased physical activity.

Although ageing has a substantial impact on the microbiota, changes in it may also be caused by illnesses that are common in the elderly, such as a loss in general health accompanied by malnutrition and an increase in the requirement for medicine.

As a result, probiotics' significance in regulating the gut microbiota to sustain health is becoming more widely known.

Examples of Natural Probiotics

• Triphala

Triphala, a herbal supplement, is a concoction created from the fruits amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki, which are regarded as therapeutic herbs in the Indian system of traditional medicine known as Ayurveda. This organic herbal supplement has demonstrated promising effects on probiotics, the microbiome, and human health.

Experts are hopeful that their formulation could have interesting applications in a variety of human disorders like diabetes, obesity, neurodegeneration, chronic inflammation, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and even cancer given the broad physiological effects of this formulation demonstrated in the fruit fly.

• Gut Tonic

For over five years, Katerina Lazareva has sold her ferments at farmers markets, making them a unique source of probiotics and lifespan.

Her famous Gut Tonic is made from the peels and cabbage leaves that her beetroot sauerkraut produces.

She then isolates the fermented peels, which she refers to as "loose ends," and dehydrates and grinds them into a powder to create a sauerkraut seasoning.

She is also developing a variety of miso pastes that are made from vegetables rather than soybeans.

Conclusion

Probiotics may be very useful in senior populations, particularly in terms of infection prevention and maybe also in the prevention of several age-related disorders.

For a more accurate evaluation of probiotics' capacity to maintain a healthy microbial balance to enhance health in the elderly, further trials should be conducted.