Introduction
Currently, adults 60 years of age or more outnumber children under 5 years of age, and by 2050 adults ages 60+ are expected to outnumber adolescents and young people between the ages of 15 and 24 (1). As the pace of ageing population continues to accelerate, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021–2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing.” Healthy ageing is defined as developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age (1). Ageing is inevitable and happens at both cellular and molecular levels. It is a complex process and manifests itself differently in different individuals. Human lifespan and health span are determined by various factors, including genetics, epigenetics, diet, and lifestyle (2). There is accumulating evidence suggesting a healthy lifestyle in early years is critical to maintaining health and curtailing the risk of age-related disorders later in life.
The human gut microbiome is increasingly being studied as an important contributing factor of healthy ageing due to its key role in both physical and mental health. The human microbiome is a complex ecosystem, and due to its critical role in human biology, it is sometimes referred to as a separate virtual organ. A healthy gut microbiota plays a key role in overall health and its microbial diversity is linked to several human diseases. A higher microbial diversity in the gut is associated with a healthier microbiota (3) while low diversity is linked to various disorders including obesity and gastrointestinal pathologies like inflammatory bowel disease (4). The diversity of microbes can be defined as the number and distribution of distinct types of organisms within the body. The gut microbiota of the elderly differs in composition and diversity from young and middle-aged adults (5) and this shift is described as one of the primary causes of ageing-related disorders. The composition and diversity of gut microbiota is influenced by several factors, such as diet, physical activity, geography, and general lifestyle.
Login now to read the full article
Don’t have an account yet? Subscribe now, it’s free!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt.
All pubblications
archive from 2022 to today
All articles
PDF Version
Receive our latest issue alerts
directly to your mailbox
