Written By: Upneet Pansare | Updated : September 19, 2018 10:08 AM IST
You should have more of high-fibre foods if you want your brain to be healthy in old age © Shutterstock
Dietary fibre is crucial for a number of functions in our body. It helps decrease bad cholesterol in the bloodstream, keeps inflammation in control, helps in weight management, prevents constipation, appendicitis and diabetes and reduces the risk of heart diseases. Now a study published in Frontiers in Immunology has said that dietary fibre can prevent memory fades and other brain functions that tend to decline in old age. More specifically, butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced primarily by bacterial fermentation of fibre in the colon, is anti-inflammatory and has improved memory in animal models. In this study, the researchers have demonstrated that butyrate can reduce the bad effects of certain protein cells in the brain that are pro-inflammatory.
The study states that ageing results in chronic systemic inflammation that can alter neuroinflammation of the brain. Certain nutrients can delay brain ageing by preventing or reversing this process. In the study that they did on mice, it was found that high fibre supplementation in ageing could increase butyrate levels and that an increase in butyrate through added soluble fibre could counterbalance the age-related microbiota dysbiosis, potentially leading to neurological benefits.
The study also noted that daily dietary fibre intake is roughly 40 per cent below the recommended adequate intake and, as a result, short-chain fatty acid concentrations are likely less than optimal in older adults. There is also a lower capacity to produce butyrate in the elderly gut microbiome. What s beneficial in this case is an increase in the intake of inulin, a soluble dietary fibre that increases butyrate-producing bacteria. That is why it is recommended for reducing age-related inflammation and increasing immunity and protection against infections in elderly people.
You must load up on foods like garlic, onion, asparagus, bananas which are just some of the foods that have inulin in them.
