Aging is a beautiful, crazy, challenging journey. It’s full of changes that can be difficult to navigate, especially when you can’t see them happening. Gut health is the perfect example.
Your gut is a crucial part of your overall well-being. It contains a microbiome full of bacteria that supports your immune system and battles sickness. But as you age, the bacteria in your gut gets less diverse. This makes you more susceptible to infection and chronic diseases.
Fortunately, there are ways to keep your gut microbiome balanced as the years go by. Taking a high-quality probiotic, for example, boosts gut health and restores your microbiome, especially after taking antibiotics.
How else can you support your gut during aging? And how exactly does your gut microbiome change as you get older? Let’s explore.
What is your gut microbiome?
Your gut microbiome contains trillions of microorganisms, from bacteria to fungi. Some of these microbes are healthy, good guys. The others? Not so much.
The good microbes in your gut are responsible for strengthening your immune system, fighting off infections, digesting food, and even regulating your mental health.
But if there is a bacteria imbalance in your gut, the bad guys can take over and cause infection, viruses, and other health complications. It’s no wonder poor gut health has been linked to multiple chronic illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
What factors impact your gut microbiome?
So many things can cause changes to your gut flora. Diet, alcohol consumption, sleep quality, exercise, and stress can all impact how healthy (or unhealthy) your gut microbiome is throughout your life.
Antibiotics also play a part. While antibiotics are necessary for treating harmful infections, they can also wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad. This throws your microbiome off balance and makes it harder for your body to fight off future infections.
However, according to a new body of research, another cause of gut changes can happen quietly in the background: aging.
What happens to your gut health as you age?
Biodiversity is the hallmark of a healthy gut. The more unique species of microbes you have, the more resilient and strong your microbiome will be.
However, new research shows that the gut microbiome becomes less diverse as we get older. This can increase your risk of infection, disease, and overall frailty during aging.
One study found that the gut microbiome became less diverse in mid to late adulthood. And participants over 80 who managed to maintain diverse gut microbiomes were healthier overall.
Taking care of your gut flora is clearly an important part of healthy aging. But how do you do it?
What should you eat for a healthy gut?
Food is a major player in the makeup of your gut microbiome. Changes to your diet can directly impact the types of microbes in your gut.
For example, healthy microbes love fibre. The more fibre-rich foods you eat, the more good microbes can thrive and multiply. Nutritious sources of fibre include apples, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, and bell peppers.
Polyphenols are another microbe favourite. Foods that contain this natural antioxidant are the ultimate fuel for microbial growth. Brightly coloured fruits and veggies, tea, coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate all contain polyphenols.
The last addition to your gut-friendly grocery list? Fermented foods. These tasty treats are bursting with probiotics—AKA healthy bacteria. Yogurt, aged cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are all examples of delicious fermented foods your gut will love.
By incorporating these foods into your diet regularly, you can maintain a more diverse, balanced gut flora as you age.
What’s the best probiotic for gut health as you age?
Science shows that probiotics can help keep your gut microbiome diverse over the years. But for many people, it’s tough to get all the probiotics you need from food alone.
Meet Utiva Probiotic: a powerful probiotic supplement that restores gut health long-term, helps you recover from antibiotic use, and boosts your microbiome diversity.
Bursting with a unique blend of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotic strains, this acid-resistant supplement is designed to strengthen your immune system and improve digestion—with just one dose per day. Best of all, it has 12 billion CFU in each dose at the time of expiry and 30 billion at the time of manufacturing, which is the doctor-recommended amount for maximum effectiveness.
Feel supported in your gut health journey.
Everyone ages, but the process can still feel isolating at times. It’s important to remember you are not alone. So many people are searching for the best way to improve their health, quality of life, and happiness as each year passes. And caring for your gut is a positive step forward in that journey.
Talk to your doctor about your gut health and how you can improve it. Learn more about gut health on the Utiva blog. And reach out with any questions about our products. We’re always here to help.
References:
- https://zoe.com/learn/gut-health-and-immune-system
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41435-021-00126-8
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2971-8
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-021-00348-0
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4731918/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-things-that-harm-gut-bacteria#TOC_TITLE_HDR_10
- https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/02/18/how-to-fix-your-gut-bacteria-and-lose-weight/
