Can Gut Microbiomes Tell How Well You Age?

Your body is made up of many components that you may not be fully aware of. One crucial aspect of physical health is your gut. It’s responsible for many functions in your body and may be the key for you to remain young and healthy.  

If you’re not too familiar with gut microbiomes and what they do, here’s some information to help you know more.  

What Are Gut Microbiomes?  

Your gut microbiomes refer to the totality of microorganisms found in your gastrointestinal tract (GIT). There are trillions of various bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa inside your body that play a crucial role in your health. In fact, your first contact with microbes starts the moment you were born. As you get older, your gut composition will diversify and change, which can affect your overall physical condition.

The status of your gut health can contribute to how well your immune system functions and how well your digestive system converts food into energy. It may also affect your central nervous system, which is responsible for your brain function.  

Therefore, you must take the time to pay attention to your gut and ensure that you have enough good microorganisms inside your body. However, you can’t accurately analyze the makeup of your gut’s ecosystem without getting it professionally tested. You need a DNA test kit, like the ones from My Psomagen, to identify which microorganisms reside in your digestive system.  

Why Should You Test Your Gut?  

Depending on how you take care of your body, the types of bacteria inside your intestines can change. Your eating lifestyle or stress can affect the composition of your gut, which will eventually influence other aspects of your health. For instance, there’s a chance you may develop a condition called gut dysbiosis, which is an uneven occurrence of good and bad bacteria in your GIT if you neglect the microorganisms inside your body. This can lead to sudden weight gain and affect your physical well-being and your mental state.  

Thus, you must regularly check if your gut is in good shape. Knowing the current state of your digestive system’s ecosystem may also give you an idea of how your body will adapt to changes in the long run.  

Gut Microbiomes And Aging

If you want to remain youthful and age gracefully, then you shouldn’t ignore the importance of your gut health. Everyone’s body composition is different, so the impact of the microbiomes in your body as you age will be different from other people. But a recent study suggests that a person with an actively changing microbiome is more likely to live a longer life and stay healthy as they age than those with a stagnant gut composition.  

It’s more common for older people to develop certain illnesses than individuals in their prime years. This is because medications, pre-existing health conditions, and the natural effects of aging can compromise a person’s health. However, it’s possible to guard yourself against various medical complications that can make you feel like you’re aging too fast.  

Since your digestive track’s condition contributes to how other parts of your body function, it can significantly influence the efficiency of your organs. For instance, as you get older, your metabolism will start to slow down and may cause you to go over your ideal body weight, especially if you don’t pay attention to what you eat and have little to no physical activity. This is because your body won’t burn calories as well as you did during your earlier years. As a result, you may look years older than your actual age and experience other illnesses that aren’t usually associated with young individuals.  

On the other hand, if you maintain your gut’s health, it’s possible to keep aging problems at bay. For one, nourishing the microbiome that resides in your intestines may help keep your immune system in good condition. This means that your body will know how to respond if there are threats to your system. Thus, nourishing your gut and ensuring that you have a healthy microbiome composition is essential in battling the natural signs of growing old.

How To Take Care Of Your Gut  

If you want to ensure that you’ll be in good health even as you age, you should take time to take care of your gut.

Here are some tips you can follow to keep your microbiome healthy.

• Eat Prebiotic Foods: Eating foods rich in prebiotics can help stimulate the growth of good bacteria in your GIT. Bananas, apples, and oatmeal are some products you can incorporate into your diet to nourish good bacteria.
• Consume A Diverse Range Of Foods: If you don’t have any food restrictions, aim to fill your plate each meal with products from all food groups. This means that you need to consume vegetables, protein, and healthy carbohydrates. 
• Take A Probiotic Supplement: Although the best way to maintain the balance in your microbiome is to eat healthily, not everyone can eat enough meals daily to meet their nutritional needs. Some people find it difficult to eat too many foods just to ensure that their gut is getting enough nutrients.

As you age, you’ll also notice that you won’t eat as much as you did when you were younger since your metabolism isn’t the same as before. If this is the case, it’s better to take a probiotic supplement to keep your gut healthy, especially when you know that it’ll be more convenient than eating too many meals. Probiotics are live bacteria that can restore the amount of healthy bacteria in your microbiome.

• Avoid Artificial Sweeteners: Consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame may stimulate the growth of bacteria, like Enterobacteriaceae, that are bad for your gut. If you can choose to go sweetener-free on drinks or foods, do so. Also, try to limit your sugar consumption since this may also increase your blood sugar and negatively affect your microbiome.

Final Thoughts  

Aging is something that you can’t stop. However, if you prioritize your health, you won’t have to suffer from the adverse effects of old age. Keeping your gut healthy can be your key to staying youthful. This is because a healthy gut can help keep other systems in your body in good shape and may help prevent the risk of getting sick.