Probiotics for healthy aging: Here's what you need to know.

Here at Primal Harvest, we're proud of you for continuing to make your health a top priority.

Life can get a bit chaotic at times and it's easy to let your diet, exercise or self-care routine fall by the wayside.

Keep up the great work!

We believe that a natural, more holistic approach to healing and healthy aging means considering every piece of the puzzle.

This includes your diet, your overall state of mind, your exercise routine, and more. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of our health that we don’t usually pay close enough attention to is gut health.

WHY IS GUT HEALTH IMPORTANT TO THE AGING PROCESS?

Your overall gut health has a major influence over your entire body’s health. Clinical researchers are now finding more and more that the human gut is closely connected to many of the most important systems in your body.

An unhealthy gut can damage not only your immune system, but also decrease mood and energy levels, slow metabolism, worsen skin's appearance, impact sleep quality, and so much more. Therefore, in order to look and feel our best as we age, it's essential to first take a look at the quality of our gut health. 

HOW CAN I BEGIN HEALING MY GUT?

If you often suffer from indigestion, upset stomach, food sensitivities, chronic skin problems, autoimmune disease, fatigue, or unexplained weight changes, these are all pretty tell-tale signs that your gut is in need of some healing. 

Besides following a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of water, rest, nutritious foods, and self-care, there are additional options that can help kickstart faster gut healing.

Supplementing with a high-quality probiotic or gut health formula is one excellent option for providing your gut with the extra healthy bacteria needed to begin healing your microbiome. 

WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS?

Probiotics are live microorganisms taken as a supplement that are designed to improve or restore healthy gut flora. They can also often be found in yogurts and many fermented foods, as well as in supplements (like our Primal Probiotics and Primal Gut Restore) and various beverages.

WHY PROBIOTICS?

Many studies  on the anti-aging effects of probiotics have shown that a healthy gut greatly impacts how well your body ages. This means that probiotics can help your body retain its youthful energy, health, digestion, and overall appearance and vitality for longer. 

Here are 6 reasons why probiotics are essential for healthy aging (and may even help slow down the aging process)..

Daily probiotics are especially vital for elderly people, due to their increased risk for nutritional deficiencies, digestive issues, and weakened immune systems.

As we age, we face an ongoing decline in our microbiota diversity, as well as impaired gut immune response and gut bacteria composition. High quality probiotics can help remedy many of these issues by slowing the decline of healthy bacteria in the gut, easing digestion issues, and strengthening our natural defenses

One study showed that probiotics played a role in helping delay the onset of some age-related illnesses.

Protecting our bones and joints becomes especially important as we age and begin to experience aches and pains that impact our mobility. Some researchers have found probiotics to be helpful in promoting healthy inflammatory responses in those suffering from joint aches and stiffness.

According to The Arthritis Foundation, probiotics may help by, "reducing common biomarkers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein." 

Probiotics may help promote healthier inflammatory responses in the intestinal tract as well, since many individuals with inflammatory arthritis tend to suffer from inflammation in their gut.

There is still more research to be done, but one interesting 2012 study published in a peer-reviewed medical journal found that studying gut bacteria had the potential to indicate arthritis susceptibility in mice.

 One of the 'hot topics' amongst researchers in recent years is the connection between our brain and gut. Studies are now finding that they are more closely tied than we ever imagined.

As we age, we are faced with general cognitive decline, such as the loss of mental clarity and memory loss. We also face the possibilities of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Taking a high-quality probiotic supplement has been shown in some studies to help retain healthy cognitive function in elderly individuals when taken consistently. 

Another dreaded part of getting older is not having enough energy to do the things you once loved. Increased fatigue can indeed be a direct result of age, but what you may not know, is that these feelings may also be caused by poor gut health.

This is because unhealthy gut bacteria can prevent your body from properly digesting and absorbing vitamins and nutrients from food. This leaves you lacking key nutritional components needed for 'fuel' or energy. The result is often feelings of sluggishness, weakness, and fatigue.

Certain types of probiotic strains can also help create higher levels of vitamins K and B. These two vitamins are essential when it comes to energy production.

As we age, our metabolism slows and it becomes increasingly difficult to prevent steady weight gain. Loss of mobility is also another major contributing factor to weight gain as we age. A premium probiotic formula may help individuals maintain a healthy weight and by keeping your appetite balanced and preventing cravings.

An overgrowth of harmful gut microbiota is often the culprit behind unhealthy sugar as carb cravings, as well as uncontrollable appetite. When you properly digest vitamins and nutrients, you will feel full longer and will be less likely to overeat or reach for snacks.

One study conducted on 210 healthy Japanese adults with large visceral fat areas (abdominal fat) found that the group consuming a probiotic beverage lost significantly more weight and body fat mass after 12 weeks of consumption

It's no surprise that the quality of our skin, hair and nails declines as we age. A healthy gut can help retain skin's elasticity, promote hair growth and fullness, and strengthen nails.

Essentially, the idea is that probiotics may help prevent free radical damage to your skin, therefore protecting your complexion from harmful toxins and oxidative stress associated with premature aging.

A healthy gut is also needed to properly absorb the vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants from food that are essential for youthful-looking hair, skin and nails.

Often, your skin is the first place where an unhealthy gut will manifest itself, resulting in inflammatory responses such as rosacea, eczema, hyper-pigmentation, or acne. A healthy balance of gut bacteria will help resolve skin issues, as well as help fend off skin-harming pathogens and yeast.

DO YOU TAKE A DAILY PROBIOTIC FOR GUT HEALTH? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. WE CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

AND REMEMBER...

IT'S ABOUT YOU. IT'S ABOUT YOUR HEALTH. IT'S ABOUT RECONNECTING.