Nice article in Medical News Today – read the entire article HERE

Some of my favorite highlights…
Fiber is a key element of a healthful diet. New research breaks down the mechanism by which it can delay age-related brain inflammation.

 

Eating fiber-rich foods — such as broccoli, nuts, oats, beans, and whole-grain bread — might help delay brain aging by triggering the production of a short-chain fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties (from a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

Previous research has shown that a drug form of butyrate, which is a short-chain fatty acid that is produced in the colon when bacteria ferment fiber in the gut, can improve memory and reduce inflammation in mice.

The high-fiber diet elevated butyrate and other [short-chain fatty acids] in the blood both for young and old mice 

Consuming a high-fiber diet reduced the intestinal inflammation in aging mice so much that it was indistinguishable from that of young mice.

Why fiber is good for your brain

A high-fiber diet reduced inflammation in the brain’s microglia. The researchers suspect that this was achieved by diminishing the production of a pro-inflammatory chemical known as interleukin-1β, which some studies have linked with Alzheimer’s.

Diet has a major influence on the composition and function of microbes in the gut and that diets high in fiber benefit good microbes – while diets high in fat and protein can have a negative influence on microbial composition and function.

Older adults consume 40 percent less dietary fiber than is recommended.

Not getting enough fiber could have negative consequences for things you don’t even think about, such as connections to brain health and inflammation in general.