Diet and Microbiota in the Elderly

Abstract

Minimizing the age-associated physiological decline and comorbidities represents a major scientific challenge for the next decades. The importance of diet for maintaining health along aging is well recognized. Recently the gut microbiota has arisen as a key-player in the diet-health interaction, being essential for the homeostasis of the host. Since aging is associated to the loss of the physiological homeostasis, the potential application of microbiota-targeted strategies is of great interest. Given the influence of the diet on the microbiota the use of dietary interventions, such as probiotics or prebiotics, provide a useful tool for the modulation microbiota and the promotion of health during aging.