Probiotic Cheese Boosts Immune System Of Elderly
Tonje Mcknight
"The increase in the proportion of aged individuals in modern society makes finding innovative ways to thwart the deterioration of the immune system a priority," said lead author Dr Fandi Ibrahim from the University of Turku in Finland. "The intake of probiotic bacteria has been reported to enhance the immune response through other products and now we have discovered that cheese can be a carrier of the same bacteria."
Dr Ibrahim's team believe that the daily intake of probiotic cheese can tackle the age-related deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescene. This deterioration means the body is unable to kill tumour cells and reduces the immune response to vaccinations and infections. Infectious diseases, chronic inflammation disorders and cancer are hallmarks of
The team asked volunteers aged between 72 and 103, all of which lived in the same care home, to eat one slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast for four weeks. Blood tests where then carried out to discover the effect of probiotic bacteria contained within the cheese on the immune system.
"The aim of our study was to see if specific probiotic bacteria in cheese would have immune enhancing effects on healthy older individuals in a nursing home setting," concluded Ibrahim. "We have demonstrated that the regular intake of probiotic cheese can help to boost the immune system and that including it in a regular diet may help to improve an elderly person's immune response to external challenges.
"The increase in the proportion of aged individuals in modern society makes finding innovative ways to thwart the deterioration of the immune system a priority," said lead author Dr. Fandi Ibrahim from the University of Turku in Finland. "The intake of probiotic bacteria has been reported to enhance the immune response through other products and now we have discovered that cheese can be a carrier of the same bacteria."
Ibrahim's team believe that the daily intake of probiotic cheese can tackle the age-related deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescene. This deterioration means the body is unable to kill tumour cells and reduces the immune response to vaccinations and infections. Infectious diseases, chronic inflammation disorders and cancer, are hallmarks of immunosenescene.
"The aim of our study was to see if specific probiotic bacteria in cheese would have immune enhancing effects on healthy older individuals in a nursing home setting," Ibrahim said. "We have demonstrated that the regular intake of probiotic cheese can help to boost the immune system and that including it in a regular diet may help to improve an elderly person's immune response to external challenges."
During the flu season or times of illness, people often seek special foods or vitamin supplements that are believed to boost immunity. Vitamin C and foods like citrus fruits, chicken soup, and tea with honey are popular examples. Yet the design of our immune system is complex and influenced by an ideal balance of many factors, not just diet, and especially not by any one specific food or nutrient. However, a balanced diet consisting of a range of vitamins and minerals, combined with healthy lifestyle factors like adequate sleep and exercise and low stress, most effectively primes the body to fight infection and disease.
On a daily basis, we are constantly exposed to potentially harmful microbes of all sorts. Our immune system, a network of intricate stages and pathways in the body, protects us against these harmful microbes as well as certain diseases. It recognizes foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, and parasites and takes immediate action. Humans possess two types of immunity: innate and adaptive.
Adaptive or acquired immunity is a system that learns to recognize a pathogen. It is regulated by cells and organs in our body like the spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. When a foreign substance enters the body, these cells and organs create antibodies and lead to multiplication of immune cells (including different types of white blood cells) that are specific to that harmful substance and attack and destroy it. Our immune system then adapts by remembering the foreign substance so that if it enters again, these antibodies and cells are even more efficient and quick to destroy it.
The microbiome is an internal metropolis of trillions of microorganisms or microbes that live in our bodies, mostly in the intestines. It is an area of intense and active research, as scientists are finding that the microbiome plays a key role in immune function. The gut is a major site of immune activity and the production of antimicrobial proteins. [6,7] The diet plays a large role in determining what kinds of microbes live in our intestines. A high-fiber plant-rich diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes appear to support the growth and maintenance of beneficial microbes. Certain helpful microbes break down fibers into short chain fatty acids, which have been shown to stimulate immune cell activity. These fibers are sometimes called prebiotics because they feed microbes. Therefore, a diet containing probiotic and prebiotic foods may be beneficial. Probiotic foods contain live helpful bacteria, and prebiotic foods contain fiber and oligosaccharides that feed and maintain healthy colonies of those bacteria.
The elderly are a particularly high-risk group. The immune response generally declines with increasing age as the number and quality of immune cells decreases. This causes a higher risk of poorer outcomes if the elderly develop chronic or acute diseases. In addition, about one-third of elderly in industrialized countries have nutrient deficiencies. [8] Some reasons include a poorer appetite due to chronic diseases, depression, or loneliness; multiple medications that can interfere with nutrient absorption and appetite; malabsorption due to intestinal issues; and increased nutrient needs due to hypermetabolic states with acute or chronic conditions. Diet variety may also be limited due to budget constraints or lower interest in cooking for one person; poor dentition; mental impairment; or lack of transportation and community resources to obtain healthy food.
Taken together, these findings show the utility of oral administration of probiotic B. subtilis CU1 to increase mucosal immune responses. The increased SIgA levels in the intestine and saliva might contribute to strengthening the mucosal anti-viral and anti-bacterial immune defenses of the elderly population. It has to be noted that secretion of salivary SIgA has been shown to be impaired by stress such as academic stress or intensive physical exercise [59, 60]. Therefore interesting future work would be to investigate whether B. subtilis CU1 stimulation of mucosal immune system might be beneficial in the general population, notably in a population under stress.
In a clinical trial, 36 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a 10-week diet that included either fermented or high-fiber foods. The two diets resulted in different effects on the gut microbiome and the immune system.
A wide body of evidence has demonstrated that diet shapes the gut microbiome, which can affect the immune system and overall health. According to Gardner, low microbiome diversity has been linked to obesity and diabetes.
In addition to exploring these possibilities, the researchers plan to conduct studies in mice to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which diets alter the microbiome and reduce inflammatory proteins. They also aim to test whether high-fiber and fermented foods synergize to influence the microbiome and immune system of humans. Another goal is to examine whether the consumption of fermented food decreases inflammation or improves other health markers in patients with immunological and metabolic diseases, and in pregnant women and older individuals.
You are strong! You made it home. But your fight is not yet over. In order to return to health, it is important to restore muscle and strength as well as provide your body with the nutrients it needs to keep your immune system strong.
Supplementation is primarily found in the form of EPA and DHA through fish, krill or algal oils. While research varies on ideal dosage, the USDA recommends not consuming more than 3 grams a day of EPA and DHA combined (max 2 grams from supplements; 1 g EPA + 1 g DHA) without being supervised by a physician as larger doses could cause bleeding problems (especially if you take an anti-coagulant) and possibly suppress the immune system.
Some brands of cottage cheese include fermented or live cultures, which are known as probiotics. Lactobacillus GG is a specific type of probiotic that has been shown to have major health benefits. The most commonly known advantage of consuming foods containing probiotics is that it aids in gut health.
Eating cheese may help to preserve and enhance the immune system by acting as a carrier for probiotic bacteria, say researchers from the University of Turku in Finland. Dr Fandi Ibrahim and colleagues enlisted 31 healthy nursing home residents aged from 72 to 103 (median 86) to study the effects of eating a commercial probiotic cheese on the immune system. The probiotic cheese contained approximately 109 CFU day of the "friendly" bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM. Results showed that eating the probiotic cheese enhanced the activation of NK blood cells and phagocytic activity, both of which are parameters of innate immunity. "The aim of our study was to see if specific probiotic bacteria in cheese would have immune enhancing effects on healthy older individuals in a nursing home setting," concluded Dr Ibrahim. "We have demonstrated that the regular intake of probiotic cheese can help to boost the immune system and that including it in a regular diet may help to improve an elderly person's immune response to external challenges."
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