the aging gut: can you keep yourself young & healthy by maximizing the health of your gut?

THE AGING GUT: MANAGE YOUR GUT HEALTH TO STAY YOUNGER AS YOU AGE

Aging Gut

“Alterations in the composition and function of the gut microbiome have been implicated in a range of conditions and diseases. Culture-dependent and culture-independent studies both showed that older people harbour a gut microbiome that differs in composition from that of younger adults.

Detailed analyses have identified discrete microbiota subtypes that characterize intermediates between a high diversity microbiota found in healthy community-dwelling subjects and a low diversity microbiota typical for elderly living in long-term residential care. There are also alterations in the microbiome composition associated with biological age, independent of health status.

Even after adjusting for confounding factors such as age and medication, trends in microbiota composition correlate with gradients in clinical metadata particularly frailty and inflammatory status. The strongest candidate effectors are microbial metabolites that could impact host energy balance, act as signalling molecules to modulate host metabolism or inflammation, and potentially also impact on the gut-brain axis.” From the January issue of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (Microbiome-Health Interactions in Older People)

“From the moment of birth, the human body plays host to a rich diversity of microbes. Body sites such as the skin, the gut and the mouth support communities of microorganisms (collectively known as the microbiome) that are both numerous and diverse. As our understanding of the microbiome advances, it is evident that these microbial populations participate in a multitude of symbiotic associations with us.

The disruption of these associations can lead to a range of diseases beyond mere pathogenesis as microbial nutrition, signaling, and immune defense break down. It is known that changes in microbial composition occur as the human host ages and that diet and living conditions influence the microbiome of older individuals.”  From the 2015 book, Frailty in Aging (The Biology of Frailty: Frailty and the Microbiome)

It’s undeniable; youth brings a special kind of magic.  Too bad it doesn’t last forever.  Maybe it could.  What if I told you there might be ways to bring back some of that energy, strength, vigor, mental acuity, and motivation / drive, you took for granted in your younger years?  What if I told you there may be a way to bring back some of the magic? 

As many of you know from following my blog, GUT HEALTH is everything.  No matter what specific health issue you or a loved one may be dealing with, give me a couple of minutes and I’ll find studies (plural) tying it back to Gut Health. Unfortunately, as we age we go through a process that the medical community has termed ‘senescence’. 

Senescence refers to the age-related molecular and metabolic deterioration that is relentless attacking all of us, as well as the inability of the body’s cells to divide, repair, regenerate, and heal.  Although this process affects everyone who lives long enough, it doesn’t take long to realize that different people go through senescence quite differently.

All of this begs the question, What does it really mean to be “elderly”?  The internet abounds with stories (and pictures) of elderly athletes and bodybuilders, many of whom are nothing short of astounding.  Likewise, it’s not uncommon to see relative youngsters who have aged far beyond their years (SMOKING, EXCESSIVE DRINKING, DRUGS, INFLAMMATION, sedentary lifestyle, etc, are a few of the common culprits).  This begs yet another question; is there anything that might be done to slow the process down?  That is the topic of today’s post and the question we will attempt to answer.

Where there’s smoke there’s fire; and where there’s either DYSBIOSIS or INTESTINAL HYPERPERMEABILITY (Leaky Gut), you’re certain to find the other.  Five years ago the Journals of Gastroenterolgy Series published a study showing this relationship.

“Aging significantly increases the vulnerability to gastrointestinal (GI) disorders with approximately 35%–40% of geriatric patients reporting at least one GI complaint during routine physical examination.  Specifically, advancing age was shown to correlate with an enhanced trans-epithelial permeability, indicating that there may be an age-associated decline in barrier function.  Endogenous changes in cytokine production as a function of age can be caused by a number of factors including remodeling of the gut microbiome.” 

As I will show you shortly, “barrier dysfunction” (epithelial permeability) is not confined to the Gut.

It’s amazing just how much research there is tying one’s MICROBIOME (the bacteria and other organisms that live in and on you) to one’s overall health.  Case in point, a study from the January issue of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (Role of Gut Microbiota in Aging-Related Health Decline: Insights From Invertebrate Models). 

“Studies in mammals, including humans, have reported age-related changes in microbiota dynamics.  In this review, we discuss recent work using invertebrate models to provide insight into the interplay between microbiota dynamics, intestinal homeostasis during aging and life span determination. An emerging theme from these studies is that the microbiota contributes to cellular and physiological changes in the aging intestine and, in some cases, age-related shifts in microbiota dynamics can drive health decline in aged animals.” 

There’s the relationship folks, and if HOMEOSTASIS is not present, everything falls apart.  Allow me to show you highlights from two recent studies that expounded on this relationship.

“Although there is a consensus that the dominant species that make up the adult microbiota remains unchanged in elderly people, it has been reported that there are significant alterations in the proportion and composition of the different taxa, leading to reduced microbiota diversity, as well as an increase of enteropathogens that may lead to chronic inflammation. 

Environment, diet, place of residence and biogeography are regulatory factors of the microbiota. Communication in the gut-brain-axis is regulated by many intermediaries including diverse metabolites of the microbiota. Microbial changes have been observed in several geriatric diseases, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”  From the November 2017 issue of the Archives of Medical Research (Microbiota and Aging: A Review and Commentary)

“Significant changes in microbiota composition in older subjects have been reported in relation to diet, drug use and the settings where the older subjects are living, that is, in community nursing homes or in a hospital. Moreover, changes in microbiota composition in the old age have been related to immunosenescence and inflammatory processes that are pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the pathways of frailty.

Frailty is an age-related condition of increased vulnerability to stresses due to the impairment in multiple inter-related physiologic systems that are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as falls, delirium, institutionalization, hospitalization and death.

Preliminary data suggest that changes in microbiota composition may contribute to the variations in the biological, clinical, functional and psycho-social domains that occur in the frail older subjects.”  From a 2016 issue of Digestive Diseases (Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Their Contribution to Healthy Aging)

What’s fascinating about these two studies is that number one; they give us a glimpse of the “UNIVERSAL CAUSE OF ALL DISEASE“.  Number two, these studies not only give us a glimpse into the common cause of disease, but into the COMMON “CURE” OF ALL DISEASE as well.  We clearly see this phenomenon in action in last November’s issue of Frontiers in Immunology (Aged Gut Microbiota Contributes to Systemical Inflammaging after Transfer to Germ-Free Mice)

“Advanced age is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which is usually referred to as inflammaging. Elderly are also known to have an altered gut microbiota composition. In this study, gut microbiota from young or old conventional mice was transferred to young germ-free (GF) mice.  Here, we show by transferring aged microbiota to young GF mice that certain bacterial species within the aged microbiota promote inflammaging.

The aged microbiota promoted inflammation in the small intestine in the GF mice and enhanced leakage of inflammatory bacterial components into the circulation was observed. Moreover, the aged microbiota promoted increased T cell activation in the systemic compartment. In conclusion, these data indicate that the gut microbiota from old mice contributes to inflammaging after transfer to young GF mice.”

This same sort of transfer has been done with OBESITY and DEPRESSION — both of which are INFLAMMATORY DISEASES.  In other words, doing a FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANT from old mice into young mice that had been genetically raised without a microbiome, caused the young mice to appear old when numerous tests were run four weeks later.  Oh, and as you can see from the word “leakage,” we know that a Leaky Gut was one of the factors that was observed.  Let’s look at some more studies attesting to this relationship.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE AGING GUT

While there is unfortunately no such thing as Ponce-de-Leon’s mystical “Fountain of Youth,” there are steps you can take to keep yourself younger, many having to do with understanding the HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS and likewise taking care of your Gut.  In fact, as the ‘olde tyme’ healers used to say, as the the health of the gut goes, so goes the health of the person. In all honesty, most of them are common sense. 

What we’ve seen so far is that diet and exercise play a huge part in Gut Health of the elderly.  This means two things.  Firstly, it means that you can play an active part in your own aging process.  Secondly, it means that it’s not something that someone else can do for you.  In fact, we’ve seen today that standard medical treatment is a significant destroyer of Gut Health.  In other words, Gut Health is one of those situations where LAWYERS, GUNS & MONEY aren’t going to help you much.  You’re going to have to knuckle down and do it yourself.  What might help?  Probiotics.

While I am certainly a fan of probiotics, be aware that they are not without potential issues of their own. As I said HERE a number of years ago, probiotics don’t come close to approximating a healthy microbiome, not to mention they come with a potential array of largely UNDERREPORTED SIDE EFFECTS.  While most aren’t terribly serious, you can take a look at the May 2015 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases (Risk and Safety of Probiotics) to see what I’m talking about. 

A great example of this phenomenon comes from last month’s issue of Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins (Gut Microbiota Alteration After Long-Term Consumption of Probiotics in the Elderly), which, while it could be classified as a pro-probiotic study, concluded that “The microbiota profile changes with aging… The loss of microbiota diversity and the alterations in the optimal composition and quantity of beneficial microbes are believed to increase the risk of many diseases.  High-dose intake of probiotics resulted in lower microbial richness.”  Looking at the microbiome’s big picture is part of what makes FMT so appealing for people who are seriously and chronically ill.

If you are looking to slow down the metabolism of aging, while hopefully getting healthier in the process, the links in today’s post provide a good starting point.  I put it all together for you in a generic protocol for improving physiology and Gut Health that you can find HERE.  And don’t forget that the easiest way to reach those you love and care about most with the free information on our site is by liking, sharing, or following on FACEBOOK. 

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