It's believed that a landmark project underway at University College Cork (UCC), Cork area hospitals and Teagasc, Fermoy will have significant benefits for older people.

Under the project, ELDERMET, researchers are investigating the association between gut bacteria, food and health in the elderly in Ireland.

Modern techniques have allowed scientists to show that the pattern of bacteria (the microbiota) in the gut varies from person to person and that changes in the microbiota can lead to changes in health even obesity.

It has also become clear that the microbiota is tightly liked to diet but relatively little is known about how diet and lifestyle influence, and are influenced by, the bacteria in the gut.

A team in Cork is now looking to answer this question and is using older people as their key focus in the study. Reserachers believe that once the connection between diet, lifestyle, gut bacteria and health has been investigated by ELDERMET, the knowledge gained will not only influence the foods eaten by older people, but will also promote health by shaping the design of new foods and food ingredients produced specifically for the older age-group. Further practical outcomes such as improved quality of life and new diagnostics for illness and disease highlight the significance and potential impact of ELDERMET. These outcomes will maintain the Irish food industry at the forefront of scientific excellence for understanding diet-health interactions.

Researchers are currently recruiting people to help in the study and are asking people aged 65 and over who are interested in taking part in the study to contact Dr Siobhán Cusack on 021-490 1754 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or visit website at: eldermet.ucc.ie.

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