New research examines importance of gut microbiota for older people

This month’s featured paper is from Proceedings of The Nutrition Society and is entitled Gut microbiota in older subjects: variation, health consequences and dietary intervention prospects. Composed of trillions of microbes, the gut microbiota is a diverse ecosystem residing in the healthy human intestine, and collectively known as the gut microbiota. A wealth of research has focused on this commensal bionetwork of late and its implications for health are beginning to emerge. Our knowledge of the human microbiome (the collection of genes/coding capacity of the microbiota) has expanded dramatically in the last decade due to culture-independent methodologies. The predominant method of studying this complex ecosystem is by determining the faecal microbiota profile which consists of ten major bacterial divisions or phyla. Differences in the gut microbiota have been noted across the lifespan, especially at the extremes of life, in infancy and old age. Furthermore, distinct alterations in intestinal microbiota composition and function have been linked to various chronic conditions including obesity, functional gastrointestinal disorders and diabetes. In addition, evidence is emerging for a role of the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer. The role of microbiota in obesity is probably the most investigated. Three main theories have been suggested as how the microbiota may be involved including inflammation - adipogenesis, influencing energy harvest and controlling bile acid signall...
Source: The Nutrition Society - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: news