Linking diets and specific dietary components to health and well‐being through modulation of gut microbiota and low grade inflammation (LGI).
Authors: Gabriela  , Riscuta  
Published: June 2021

Aging is one of the highest cancer (CA) health risk factors [HRF] for both sexes. While CA is a multifactorial disease, two underlying mechanisms were commonly identified in elderly: 1) low chronic inflammation (LCI) and 2) immunosenescence. Microbiota (MB), mainly probiotics, can potentially influence these two mechanisms directly and also via microbially produced metabolites. Dietary interventions have the potential to modify MB, HRF and inflammatory status [IS] and thus could influence the risk and MB composition and IS on HRF and disease of elderly; 2) To investigate how changes in the MB influence the inflammatory and immune status with age; and 3)To evaluate the relationship between inflammation and CA. Assumptions[1] Aging leads to reductions in MB diversity, associated with increases in health risk; [2]. Age‐related MB changes IS. [3] Antibiotic‐related (AB) MB reduction promotes inflammation. 4] Inflammation precedes CA and 5]; Diet / Dietary Components influence IS.

Results

1) Studies on aging gut MB show that the composition of MB in elders is differs from that of younger adults resulting in a very low abundance of phylum Firmicutes and an overall low MB diversity detected in elderly. Low diversity has been found to associate with increased HRF 2). Fecal samples from volunteers with low and high frailty scores showed a significant reduction in the number of lactobacilli (26‐fold). At much higher population levels, both the Bacteroides/Prevotella (threefold) and the Faecalibacteriumprausnitzii (fourfold) groups showed a significant reduction in percentage of total number of hybridizable bacteria in the elderly with high frailty scores vs. low fraility score. 3) Higher than average levels of age‐associated inflammation are a strong predictor of overall ill health, development of chronic inflammatory conditions, and all‐cause mortality in the elderly. Levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as IL6 and TNF increase with age in both humans and mice. The presence of a compromised MB in centenarians is associated with an even more increased inflammatory status, as determined by a range of peripheral blood inflammatory markers: .4) An association between altered MB and mucosal inflammation was suggested when patients who had recently taken ABs suffered irritable bowel syndrome [IBS] symptomatology. Predictably, AB treatment in the elderly affects both richness and diversity of the MB and was associated with decreases in bifidobacteria and the Bacteroides‐Prevotella group. 5).: Inflammation precedes CA development via several pathophysiological mechanisms. Infections with H. pylori, found in about 66% of humans are a cause of global CA mortality by triggering host inflammatory responses. Hepatic inflammation, influenced by gastrointestinal MB predisposes to hepatocellular CA, the 3rd most common cause of global CA mortality. 6) Finally, the mechanism of IBS Disease involves bacterial‐driven inflammation that promotes colon CA. and 7). Diet:components contribute to determining gut MB composition and diversity, likely through MB‐mediated effects that involve a reduction in LGI via altered gut MB or other aspects of MB‐host crosstalk, or may affect inflammation directly.

Conclusion

A systematic review of 52 clinical trials examining correlation between dairy consumption and Inflammatory markers suggests that dairy products and fermented products may promote anti‐inflammatory cascades and could be beneficial in predicting certain types of CAs.

Support or Funding Information

Supported by Institutional Resources of USAT Montserrat and the Einstein Medical Institute, N. Palm Beach, FL, USA

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.