Restricting carbohydrates is a perennial favorite among dieters. Going without sugary beverages and desserts is surely a positive move. Then again stringent followers also eliminate most fruits, vegetables and whole grains, foods which are rich in nutrients. How this diet plays out on the gut microbiota is another concern, given the outsize influence our microbes […]
aging
Aging Microbiomes: A New Wrinkle for the Elderly
Expect to live at least a few decades longer than your ancestors born a century ago. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, not all of those bonus years promise the joys of good health. Aging bodies and minds are much more susceptible to disease. Aging changes are inevitable and built into the DNA of every cell. The […]
Drosophila Flies Live Longer (Much) on Probiotic and Herb Mix
If your goal is to outlive all your friends, here’s a bit of good news. Fruit flies fed an herbal and probiotic mash lived up to 65% longer than their placebo peers in a new study. Not an insignificant result at all. These Drosophila flies mirror 75% of our human disease genes, making them suitable subjects for […]
Good News When Probiotics Become Habit
While humans have been eating probiotics by way of cheeses and yogurts for tens of thousands of years, use of supplements for beneficial bacteria is only decades old. Most studies concentrate on immediate effects of pills and capsules. No reliable data exists on “longer-term consumption” of probiotics, a period of time only now relevant. […]
How Gray are your Microbes?
Is aging a disease? Some in the ranks of research think it may be so. Others stick to the idea that aging begins after the snip of the umbilical cord, the intrinsic nature of the mortal beast. Michael S. Lustgarten of Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston has […]
In Old Age, Our Altered Microbiomes Can Lead to Disease
The aging microbiome bumps into challenges its younger self may not have: chronic diseases, exposure to group living, multiple medications and changes in dentition and swallowing that disrupt diet. Yale Medical School Professor Vincent Quagliarello, MD discussed the vagaries of the microbiome in older adults recently at the Harvard Probiotics Symposium. There are “a myriad […]