A new review investigates whether influencing the makeup of the gut microbiome can improve brain health.Specifically, it focuses on probiotics, prebiotics, dietary changes, and fecal microbiota transplants (FMT).
The authors conclude that modulating the gut microbiome may slow cognitive decline and improve brain health.
This effect may be due to reduced inflammation in the brain, altered neurotransmitter signaling, and increased levels of microbial metabolites.
If a nutrition or wellness trend becomes popular on social media, it is best to remain skeptical. Much of the content shared is inaccurate at best and downright wrong at worst.
Gut health, however, bucks this trend. While gut microbes have become internet darlings, the evidence of their widespread importance in overall health continues to stack up.
A new review on probiotics and cognitive health adds to this growing stack. The study appears in the journal Nutrition Research.
Although the authors call for more research, their conclusions are positive. They find that modulating the gut microbiome might help older adults with early cognitive decline improve their thinking skills.
Overall, this is still a very young field, and there is much work to be done, but they conclude that “microbiota modulation is a promising therapeutic target that complements existing pharmacological and lifestyle interventions.”
A new but fast-paced field
A few decades ago, if someone had claimed that bacteria in the colon could slow cognitive decline or support mental health, it would have been considered fringe and likely raised a few eyebrows.
This is not far-fetched in the least. While understanding the precise relationships will take many years, it is now well within the realms of mainstream science.
Each one of us harbours trillions of microbes in our gut. They aid digestion, help us manufacture vitamins, and produce a suite of compounds that support our health.
We now know that they can also converse with the brain via multiple pathways, known as the gut-brain axis.
