Eating More Of This Can Support A Healthier Gut As You Age, Study Finds

Based on their findings, it would appear a polyphenol-rich diet can help improve intestinal permeability in older adults.

As their analysis showed, cocoa and green tea, for example, were positively correlated with butyrate-producing bacteria, which is great for the gut. On the other hand, cocoa and green tea were negatively correlated with zonulin, which is a protein related to intestinal permeability.

As the study’s lead author Cristina Andrés-Lacueva Ph.D. notes, “A higher intake of fruits, vegetables and foods such as those described in this paper provide fiber and polyphenols that could help counterbalance the damaging of permeability due to aging.”