 Dementia, osteoporosis, infection and heart disease – these are all major causes of morbidity and disability in older people. Now imagine if the bacteria that live in your gut was a key component to keeping a sharp brain, strong bones and a robust immune system as you age. As you know, the number of older people is growing worldwide. Today, there will be more people over the age of 65 than under the age of five. This will have a significant socioeconomic impact. For example, osteoporosis and falls and fractures associated with it is an age-associated disease. By the year 2050, there will be more than 6 million cases of hip fracture in the world. In the year 2010 alone, we spent close to $29 billion in treatment of falls and fractures. Dementia and Alzheimer increase with age. Their incidence will reach $150 million in the year 2050. If dementia care were a company, it would be the largest by annual revenue exceeding that of Walmart and ExxonMobil. It is then critical that we understand the causes of age-associated diseases so that we can develop strategies to promote healthy, active and successful aging. The good news, however, is that these are not inevitable consequences of aging. While genetics are important and contribute about 25% of risk for our diseases, we now know that the bacteria that we harbor in our guts and elsewhere in our body may also play a key role in how we age. In addition, nutrition and other lifestyle changes can impact your health as you get older. The bacteria that live in your gut may influence your brain and behavior, your heart and lung hurt, your muscle and bone, and your immune system, and may determine your risk for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and infections. As we age, our gut bacteria change. What we know from emerging evidence is that the gut bacteria of older people is distinct from that of young people and that it significantly correlates with measures of frailty, morbidity and nutritional status. We also know that what you eat can influence your gut microbiota. The amount of fermented food products, the type of carbohydrates, the type and level of lipids you consume can change your gut microbiota and in turn influence your susceptibility to diseases. The field of microbiome as you have heard is exploding, as is the number of older people and diseases associated with them. Proper nutrition could help maintain a healthy gut profile and reduce the risk for age-associated diseases. We can bring research in the areas of nutrition, microbiome and aging together and ask questions that will help us change the trajectory of an older population from one that is burdened by diseases and disabilities to one that is healthy, active and a contributing member of the society. For example, could maintaining a young like gut profile be the key to keeping a sharp brain, a strong bone and a strong immune system? What is the impact of polypharmacy and indiscriminate use of antibiotics on gut microbiota and its impact on successful aging? Should there be a special nutritional supplement to deter the ill effects of antibiotics and other drugs? Should consideration of gut microbiota be part of the conversation when we think about nutritional requirement for older adults? Should we be using new technologies to routinely determine gut microbiota profile of older adults and use it as a tool to formulate new interventions? This is all food for thought. Our challenge now is to find the answer to these questions and use them as the basis to develop cost-effective strategies that would help increase the health to span and quality of life for older adults and do it in a way that would help have a positive impact on the economic well-being of nations. Thank you.