Susceptible to illness through retirement home food

Eating in nursing homes favors inflammatory diseases

07/17/2012

The intestinal flora of nursing home residents is often so weakened by the nutrition offered in old people's homes that this results in increased health risks, according to a recent study. The bacteria of the intestinal flora, according to the Irish researchers from University College Cork in the context of health in old age and can be influenced by a varied healthy diet.

"Changes in gut flora composition are associated with several chronic diseases, such as obesity and inflammatory diseases," the Irish researchers write. Paul O'Toole from the Institute of Microbiology at University College Cork in the journal Nature. In their study, the scientists compared the intestinal bacteria of 178 adult volunteers with their residence in the community, their stays in day hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and long-term home care. They found that "the individual microflora was significantly less diverse in people who were in a long-term care stay," than in the other subjects.

Varied diet promotes the diversity of intestinal bacteria
The researchers suspect that unfavorable one-sided nutrition in nursing homes and retirement homes leads to potentially harmful changes in the intestinal flora. As part of their study, Paul O'Toole and colleagues found that with a varied diet, older people have a greater variety of bacteria in their intestines, making them more likely to become more resistant to disease. Also, the older subjects with high bacterial diversity in their intestines, according to the researchers less likely to obesity and inflammation as peers, which have a less diverse intestinal flora due to their one-sided diet.

Unilateral diet of the elderly home residents
In their study, the Irish researchers examined 178 subjects between the ages of 64 and 102 (mean age 78 years) and questioned their dietary habits. The bacteria of the intestinal flora were determined on the basis of stool samples from the study participants. The subjects were categorized according to their place of residence, distinguishing between residents of old people's homes, rehabilitation facilities, day clinics and those living at home. The survey on dietary habits revealed that the study participants living at home were more diversified than the residents of the medical facilities. They often had bread, fruit and vegetables with higher fiber content on the menu, while in the nursing homes a rather high-fat, high-sugar diet was served.

Up to 5,000 different types of bacteria identified
The higher fiber content obviously has an extremely beneficial effect on the intestinal flora of the study participants living at home. In general, fiber is said to have a positive effect on digestion, yet the differences found in the bacterial diversity of the intestinal flora in the Irish study were astonishing. The researchers around Paul O'Toole had examined the stool samples of the subjects on residues of the genetic material of individual bacteria and thus partially identified up to 5,000 different types of bacteria. They found that the home study participants had a far greater number of different bacteria in their gut than the other study groups. Although it has been known for some time that the diet in some medical institutions is not optimal, that it has such a serious effect on the intestinal flora, the researchers had not expected.

Variety of intestinal flora is related to inflammatory diseases
In addition, a clear correlation has been found between the bacterial diversity of the intestinal flora and susceptibility to inflammatory diseases. The blood levels of inflammation also recorded in the study were significantly increased among the elderly home residents, O'Toole reports. Also, the general frailty has increased with decreasing bacterial diversity in the intestine. Presumably, the food is split into its constituents better in a variety of intestinal flora, making it easier to absorb the individual nutrients. Dr. Ian Jeffery, from the Institute of Microbiology at University College Cork, said that a diverse intestinal flora means "that there are many different types of bacteria that are likely to perform many functions," which can break down food more efficiently. Professor Fergus Shanahan said that in this way the frailty of older people would be counteracted. Because these are often frail because their muscles and muscle tension are dwindling, which may be prevented by improved protein and calcium intake from the diet.

Improve aging health through nutrition to build up the intestinal flora
Overall, "our findings suggest that we can improve the health of older people by changing their diet and changing their gut flora," study director Dr. Paul O'Toole at the European Science Conference in Dublin. In natural medicine, this principle is known not only in the elderly, but also in diseases of young patients may be recommended to establish measures to intestinal flora. These are intended to strengthen the immune system and help those affected on the one hand to get back on their feet and on the other hand to develop a preventive effect. Although the Irish researchers have indirectly confirmed this approach, O'Toole and colleagues in their article "Intestinal flora composition correlates with nutrition and health in the elderly" argued that their conclusions so far are based only on circumstantial evidence. In order to be able to make exact statements, the exact effect of the individual bacterial species would have to be determined, which, however, seems almost impossible on the basis of the current state of research. (Fp)

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