Abstract
An international team of investigators, led by researchers at the University of Cork, Ireland, has found that eating a Mediterranean diet for a year boosts the types of gut bacteria linked to healthy aging while reducing those associated with harmful inflammation in older people.
Previous research suggests that a poor/ restrictive diet, which is common among older people, particularly those in long-term residential care, reduces the range and types of bacteria (microbiome) found in the gut and helps to speed up the onset of frailty.
“Aging is accompanied by deterioration of multiple bodily functions and inflammation, which collectively contribute to frailty. We and others have shown that frailty co-varies with alterations in the gut microbiota in a manner accelerated by consumption of a restricted diversity diet,” the authors wrote.
The researchers analyzed the gut micro-biome of individuals aged 65 to 79, before and after 12 months of either eating their usual diet (n=289) or a Mediterranean diet (n=323), rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and fish and low in red meat and saturated fats and specially tailored to older people (NU-AGE diet).
Sticking to the Mediterranean diet for 12 months was associated with beneficial changes to the gut microbiome. Moreover, it was associated with stemming the loss of bacterial diversity; an increase in the types of bacteria associated with indicators of reduced frailty, such as walking speed and handgrip strength; and improved brain function including memory.
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