london eating a mediterranean diet which includes meals built around fruits and vegetables boosts gut bacteria linked to healthy aging while suppressing microbes associated with harmful inflammation according to a study which may lead to better clinical food recommendations for old peoplethe study noted that aging is associated with deteriorating bodily functions and increasing inflammation and the mediterranean diet may act on gut bacteria in a way that helps curb the advance of physical frailty and cognitive decline in old ageaccording to the researchers including those from the university college cork in ireland a poor diet which is common among older people particularly those in long term residential care reduces the range and types of bacteria microbiome found in the gut and speeds up the onset of frailtyin the current study they analysed the gut microbiome of 612 people aged 65 to 79 before and after 12 months of either eating their usual diet or a mediterranean dietaccording to the findings of the study sticking to the mediterranean diet for 12 months was associated with beneficial changes to the gut microbiome