Digestive Health

Caring for our aging parents

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Caring for our aging parents

Apr 22, 2022

Introduction

Parents have sacrificed a lot for their children to make sure they live a better life, and for some parents, they sacrificed and kept it secret. As a child, we should thank our parents for bringing us alive into this world, for feeding us, keeping us warm, and protecting us from harm. We owe our parents for they have always been there to support and take good care of us, which we could not repay them. So, let’s care more for our aging parents by keeping them healthy!

As aging progress, there is some common issue that could worsen their health conditions, such as:

1. Reduced bifidobacteria

One of the common issues among the elderly is the lower level of good bacteria in the gut. Compared to children and adults, seniors have reduced bifidobacteria count in their gut1. The probiotic strain Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 and prebiotic inulin-oligofructose help to replenish bifidobacteria count among the elderly 2 which is beneficial for their gut health.

2. Chronic Constipation

Chronic constipation is also common among the elderly that they are having infrequent bowel movements, which is 3 or lesser bowel movements in a week. Some may feel that they need to strain to have a bowel movement, or they may notice they have hard stools, incomplete evacuation, or inability to pass stool. Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 has been shown to help improve bowel movement which relieves hard stools problem3.

3.Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease affecting the bone, people having this condition have weak and brittle bones that increase the risk of falls which could lead to bone fractures, particularly in the hip or spine. The intestinal calcium absorption is decreased among the elderly. And women who undergo menopause are also at higher risk due to the decreased level of estrogen at menopause is associated with rapid bone loss.5 Prebiotic inulin oligofructose can help to improve nutrient absorption by enhancing the intestinal absorption of mineral calcium and magnesium4.

Besides maintaining a balanced daily diet, synbiotic supplementation with probiotic strains such as Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 added with prebiotic inulin-oligofructose is beneficial for helping the elderly to maintain their gut and bone health. Make sure you choose the right strain of probiotics that give you the health benefits that you are looking for and opt for probiotic strains that are supported by clinical studies and approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

For more information, visit A.B. Adult Gold Pre&Pro

Your parents’ well-being is in your hands, let’s take this opportunity to care for our aging parents! BiO-LiFE A. B. Adult Gold Pre & Pro is a synbiotics formation that incorporates both prebiotics and probiotics in every sachet, an ideal parent’s day gift for them to stay healthy.

Reference
  1. Arboleya S et al. 2016. Gut Bifidobacteria Populations in Human Health and Aging. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7 (1204): 1-9
  2. Bartosch, S., Woodmansey, E.J., Paterson, J.C.M., McMurdo, M.E.T., and Macfariane, G.T., 2005. Microbiological Effects of Consuming a Synbiotic Containing Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Oligofructose in Elderly Persons, Determined by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Counting of Viable Bacteria. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 40:28-37
  3. Piano, M. D. et al., 2010. The Use of Probiotics in Healthy Volunteers with Evacuation Disorders and Hard Stools: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study. J Clin Gastroenterol, 44: S30-34
  4. Meyer, D., & Stasse-Wolthuis, M. (2009). The bifidogenic effect of inulin and oligofructose and its consequences for gut health. European journal of clinical nutrition, 63(11), 1277.
  5. Office of the Surgeon General (US), 2004. Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General.
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