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Staying Healthy
Healthy gut, healthier aging
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Support beneficial microbes in the gastrointestinal tract with these healthy lifestyle habits.
Trillions of microbes — bacteria, viruses, fungi — call your gut home. They do more than just help you digest food. They fight harmful pathogens; make vitamin K and other important chemicals; affect the way medications work; and may influence your immune system, heart health, and cancer risk. It also appears gut microbes may play a role in healthy aging and longevity. The genes of all your gut microbes are collectively called the gut microbiome.
Encouraging findings
In a study published online Feb. 18, 2021, by Nature Metabolism, scientists observed that older adults whose mix of gut microbes changed the most over time lived longer than those people with less change in their gut microbiome.
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