Evaluating the Role of Probiotics in the Prevention and Management of Age-Related Diseases

The human lifespan has been significantly increased due to scientific advancements in the management of disease; however, the health span of the aging population does not follow the same trend. Aging is the major risk factor for multimorbidity that is derived from the progressive loss of homeostasis, immunological and stem cell exhaustion, as well as exacerbated inflammation responses. Age-related diseases presenting with high frequencies include neurodegenerative, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases and cancer. These diseases can be co-morbid and are usually managed using a disease-specific approach that can eventually lead to polypharmacy, low medication adherence rates and undesired drug-drug interactions. Novel studies suggest targeting the shared biological basis of age-related diseases to retard the onset and manage their manifestations. Harvesting the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory capacity of probiotics to tackle the root cause of these diseases, could pose a viable alternative. In this article, a comprehensive review of the effects of probiotic supplementation on the molecular pathogenesis of age-related diseases, and the potential of probiotic treatments as preventative or alleviatory means is attempted. Furthermore, issues on the safety and efficiency of probiotic supplementation, as well as the pitfalls of current clinical studies are discussed, while new perspectives for systematic characterization of probiotic benefits on aged hosts are outlined.