1. Eat healthy to live longer

One of the things that have become clear is that a healthy diet promotes healthy ageing. As explained Ian Jeffery, researcher at University College Cork APC Microbiome Institute (Ireland), the connection between unhealthy diets and any cause of death has been clear for years now, but only recently has it become clear what role microbiota and changes in microbial flora play in age-related diet changes.

For Joël Doré, scientific director of the Industrial Demonstrator MetaGenoPolis, regulating the microbiota should be considered a target for personalized nutrition and a support strategy/adjuvant to current treatments.

One of the most promising studies is the fecal microbiota transplant, from a healthy donor to a patient. Positive results have been proven for both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal illnesses, with success rates of 90% for Clostridium difficile infections. But, according to Peer Bork, head of bioinformatics for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg (Germany), the mechanism behind it remains unknown.