Could boosting the gut microbiome be the secret to healthier older age?
GASTROENTEROLOGY NERD ALERT: Could boosting the gut microbiome be the secret to healthier older age?
Check out this article in Science Daily that showed an immune system boost in older mice receiving stool transplants from younger mice:
“Fecal transplants from young to aged mice can stimulate the gut microbiome and revive the gut immune system, a study by immunologists at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, has shown. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.”
“The gut is one of the organs that is most severely affected by ageing and age-dependent changes to the human gut microbiome have been linked to increased frailty, inflammation and increased susceptibility to intestinal disorders. These age-dependent changes to the gut microbiome happen in parallel with a decrease in function of the gut immune system but, until now, it was unknown whether the two changes were linked.
“Our gut microbiomes are made up of hundreds of different types of bacteria and these are essential to our health, playing a role in our metabolism, brain function and immune response,” explains lead researcher Dr Marisa Stebegg. “Our immune system is constantly interacting with the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. As immunologists who study why our immune system doesn’t work as well as we age, we were interested to explore whether the make-up of the gut microbiome might influence the strength of the gut immune response.”
Although stool transplant used as a “fountain of youth” is not ready for prime time, our team can help you learn more about optimizing your gut microbiome, nutrition, and overall gastrointestinal health and wellness. Please call us at 224.407.4400 or email us at [email protected] for an appointment!