Why, without a healthy microbiome, you cannot be healthy in old age (or any age)

The microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms that comprise bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms. Most of the research has been done on the bacteria and their effects on the body. These bacteria occupy virtually every part of the body, with distinct colonies in different parts. 

The most abundant is found in the gut that stretches from the mouth to the anus. 

The bacteria in the mouth are distinct from those in the oesophagus (gullet), that is distinct from the stomach, that is distinct from the small bowel, and that is distinct from the large bowel.

Within the gut, the most abundant bacteria are found in the large bowel or colon. 

When I talk of the gut microbiome, I am talking about the microbiome in the large bowel. These bacteria in a healthy state are truly our friends. They interact with our bodies in so many ways to keep us healthy. They are there even before birth. From birth, they are instructing our immune systems to mature and develop to identify friend from foe. They are even involved in the maturation of our brains.

The gut microbiome has even been called a separate organ of the body.

Like the liver, heart or lungs, we cannot be healthy if they are unhealthy; likewise, the gut microbiome. These trillions of bacteria, when healthy, are workhorses, producing vitamins, amino acids, and numerous chemicals that our bodies depend on. 

It plays a crucial role in your body’s metabolism.

To briefly explain, it plays a role in digestion and hormone regulation; it produces chemicals that have been linked to blood sugar regulation, keeping the gut lining healthy, preventing osteoporosis, reducing inflammation, improving heart health, and numerous more that will be covered in detail in subsequent newsletters.

The microbiome also fights infection and inflammation, prevents cancer, and also plays a role in keeping brain function healthy. 

Keeping the microbiome healthy depends on you.

A healthy microbiome means a balanced population of predominately healthy compared with pathogenic or unfriendly bacteria. That depends on your diet, exercise, stress levels, quality of sleep, exposure to toxins, etc. 

What happens to the microbiome with ageing?

There is a shift in the composition and abundance of the bacteria in the gut. The shift is away from the friendly health-inducing bacteria to the unfriendly disease-causing bacteria.

These are from studies of average ageing populations from 60 on. These shifts in the microbial balance have knock-on effects.

The intestinal barrier gets damaged.

This barrier is crucial to preventing bacteria and toxins from getting into the body. Just behind the intestinal barrier sits the immune system. It is constantly on the lookout for bacteria and bacterial toxins and quickly mounts a response to get rid of them. But with ageing, the immune system is not as effective. I will explain this in more detail in another newsletter, but briefly, the part of the immune system to do with inflammation becomes more active than the part that has to do with anti-inflammatory action. 

As a result, as we age, we get into a state of chronic low-level inflammation. 

Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for chronic illnesses e.g., obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, etc. in the elderly population. The dysregulated gut microbiome contributes to the inflammatory state in the elderly. Unfortunately, inflammation in turn affects the gut microbiome, further shifting it more to the unfriendly state. This sets up a vicious cycle of one feeding the other, speeding up the onset of chronic illness. 

So, what can we do to prevent chronic illness from happening as we age?

To answer that we have to look at centenarians.

These people at 100 years or over have a different composition of their microbiome compared with the average older populations. Their microbiome is closer to that of the healthy younger person. These centenarians are healthier with fewer chronic diseases like high blood pressure, obesity, or diabetes. We will be delving deeper into how we can get to the healthier balance of our microbiome and prevent the imbalance that leads to chronic illness.

So the question is, is disease inevitable in old age?

Death is inevitable. We have to die of something. But can we live a long, healthy life and compress the time of disease to as short a time as possible before death? Our strongest ally to help us achieve that goal is our microbiome. As I stated in the title of this article, without a healthy microbiome, we cannot be healthy in old age or any age.

Getting our microbiome to a healthy state and keeping it there will be what we will be aiming for in our Healthy Ageing journey. In doing that, we will get benefits to our health independent of improving the gut microbiome. All contributing to healthy ageing.

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Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this newsletter. Reliance on any information provided here is solely at your own risk.