Study finds polyphenol-rich diets improve leaky gut syndrome in elderly

Barcelona: The increase of intestinal permeability is associated with factors such as ageing, food allergies and intolerances and unhealthy diets.
According to a new study, a polyphenol-rich diet can improve intestinal permeability in old people.
The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Clinical Nutrition’.
The study is led by Cristina Andres-Lacueva, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and head of the Research Group of Biomarkers and Nutritional Metabolomics of Food of the University of Barcelona and the Biomedical Research Center of Fragility and Healthy Ageing (CIBERFES), also part of the Catalan Food Innovation Network (XIA).
This European study, conducted within the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative – A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL), was carried out in people aged over sixty who underwent a polyphenol-rich diet for eight weeks.
The results have shown that including up to three daily portions of apple, cocoa, dark chocolate, green tea, cranberries, oranges or pomegranate juice, improves intestinal permeability when making specific changes in the intestinal microbiota.