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Health Blog Sun July 15, 2012 Thriving Gut Bacteria Linked To
Good Health Originally published on Tue July 17, 2012 8:19 am
There's no magic elixir for healthy aging, but here's one more
thing to add to the list: good gut health. A study published in
the latest issue of Nature finds diet may be key to promoting
diverse communities of beneficial bacteria in the guts of older
people. To evaluate this, researchers analyzed the microbiota,
or gut bacteria, of 178 older folks, mostly in their 70s and
80s. Some of the people were living in their own homes, and
their diets were rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, grains,
poultry and fish. Others were living in long-term care
facilities or nursing homes where the typical diet was much less
varied. "Mashed potato and porridge were the only staples in
this diet type that were consumed daily," explains Paul O'Toole
of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork
in Ireland. Meals were supplement