A Revitalising Approach towards Aging: Unveiling the Potential Use of Probiotics for Wellness in Elderly Populations

Abstract

Probiotics have emerged as a potential alternative for treating various diseases affecting general population. Mounting data suggests that probiotics can be beneficial for older individuals, who often have weakened immune systems and are more susceptible to illnesses. Dysbiosis commonly occurs in elderly individuals, which is implicated as a major reason for various diseases. The effectiveness of probiotics is influenced by the specific strain and the dosage administered. Extensive studies have shown how probiotics affect prevalent issues, such as functional bowel diseases and other gastrointestinal disorders. Probiotics exert their effects by synthesizing different microbial peptides, such as bacteriocins, antibiotics, lipopolysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids, butyric acid, propionic acid and other specific secretory metabolites. The common probiotics that are found to benefit the health of elderly populations include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bacillus subtilis, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium breve Further research is necessary to delve into the mechanism of action for both existing and novel probiotic strains for use in combating or aiding in diseases. Genetically, modified probiotics can be potentially used in the future to deliver immunity-restoring genes and as oral mode of vaccination in humans. Fecal microbiota transplantation has been gaining interest, used to restore gut conditions, and has also been linked to alleviating neurodegenerative diseases. The focus of this review was to present the available evidence on the immunomodulatory effects of probiotics in the elderly population; aiming to gain a better understanding of their mechanism of action and to assess the progress made in utilizing probiotics as therapeutic interventions.