The gastrointestinal tract is obviously affected by diet. It is characteristic that homozygous twins, one of which was breastfeeding while the other was feeding on milk powder, developed a completely different intestinal flora. The effect of these effects on the human body is under investigation. What is certain, however, is that the gastrointestinal system is inextricably linked to the development of our immune system and this has been made clear through a number of studies. Intestinal colonization begins immediately after birth and progresses with age. It is generally believed that in infants, from the age of 3, the intestinal microbiome stabilizes and virtually completes, but continues to develop at a slower rate throughout life, being the immediate culmination of different environmental effects. and balances. The balance of the intestinal microbiome is affected during the aging process and as a result, older people have a substantially different structured microbiome than younger adults.

While the general composition of the intestinal microbiome is similar to most healthy people, the composition of the species is highly individualized and largely determined by the environment and diet. It has traditionally been considered that a healthy diet requires an appropriate balance of energy, macronutrients and micronutrients ingredients and water. This is especially important for the elderly, who are more vulnerable to malnutrition. The nutritional needs of the elderly are not substantially different from those of younger adults with similar anthropometric-physiological characteristics and caloric expenditure. However, the effectiveness of nutrient absorption may be reduced, eg due to difficulty chewing and loss of appetite resulting in changes in the nutritional status of the elderly. The composition of the intestinal microbiome can be varied and adjusted according to the nutrients ingested, either temporarily or permanently. The intestinal microbiome can adapt to various environmental changes, or eating habits. However, in some special cases there may be a loss of balance. This condition is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis has been linked to various health problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and bowel disorders, obesity, diabetes and more.

There is growing evidence that dysbiosis is associated with the pathogenesis of both intestinal and extraintestinal disorders. Intestinal disorders include inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease, while extraintestinal disorders include other illnesses such as allergies, asthma, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and obesity. The gut of an obese elderly person has a different microbial composition than that of a person of the same age with a normal body weight. So, the microbial population and any changes that may contribute to weight gain. Recent studies - in both human and animal models, have shown that obesity is associated, among other things, with changes in the intestinal microbial flora. Studies of the effect of overweight and its fluctuations in intestinal bacterial populations have shown changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome.

Intestinal microbiome has also been found to affect insulin resistance, inflammatory processes and obesity through interactions with epithelial and endocrine cells. Even the association of obesity with intestinal flora and microbiome shows the body's reaction in these cases often leads to the occurrence of type II diabetes. The composition of the human gut microbiome and its metabolic activities are regulated as mentioned above by the diet. Host metabolism and metabolites also interact with the intestinal microbiome and diet, forming a complex network of interactions related to intestinal health. Several factors can affect the intestinal microbial flora of the elderly and not only humans, with diet being very important. Not only dietary patterns and specific foods are involved, but also food ingredients (eg fiber provides substrates for intestinal microbial metabolism) and food-related common microbes. Numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of prebiotics and enteric probiotics. microflora. Prebiotics, acting as "food" for certain intestinal microbes, contribute to the better functioning of the microbiome. Such components are fructooligosaccharides and inulin.

Prebiotic products have similar actions to probiotics, but not to the same degree and with the same immediacy. This is because prebiotics act indirectly, substantially enhancing the concentration of probiotics. Their main difference is that prebiotics do not contain the microorganisms themselves, but components that actually nourish and help the growth and maintenance of the already existing beneficial bacteria of the intestinal flora.

New research shows even more that the quality of the food we eat shapes the gut microbiome to such an extent, influencing and influencing the chances of developing colon cancer. bacterium Fusobacteriumnucleatum in cancerous tumors, was clearly reduced when the diet was rich in fiber. One of the ways in which the quality of nutrition affects the chances of developing a disease is through the changes caused by the gut microbiome, i.e. the composition of the population of microorganisms that live in the gut. In the laboratory, we can accurately determine the levels of all Fusobacteria, as well as many other intestinal bacteria associated with the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases and cancer, and genetically detect the intestinal microbiome.

Elderly age is the leading risk factor for developing neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). According to the international literature, reduced brain metabolism and vascular dysfunction occur decades before the onset of cognitive impairment, and these reductions are largely related to the chronic inflammation that develops in brain cells over time. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that the gut microflora may also play a critical role in shaping the immune response in the brain via the brain-gut axis.