What is good for bowel aging can also be useful for your aging brain. The first study of its twins found that taking daily proteins and prebiotic supplements could improve the results of memory tests in people over 60 years of age.
The results published last year are food for reflection, especially since the same visual memory and learning test is used to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
The dual -dazzle test included two cheap plant fibers that are offered in many nations around the world. Prebiotics are not resinous consumables that help stimulate our gut microbes.
One is called inulin and is a dietary fiber in the Fructan class. Another is called Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and it is a vegetable carbohydrate, often used as a natural low calorie sweetener.
To test the effect of these additives on an aging brain, researchers at King’s College London have recorded 36 pairs of twins over 60 years of age.
Each duo was randomly divided, so that one twin was appointed daily prebiotic in protein powder and the other was appointed daily placebo in protein powder.
The twins, who unconsciously took Inulin or FOS, generally inserted higher to a cognitive test three months later.
Moreover, daily fiber supplements were associated with slight changes in the gut microbiome between the twins. Useful BifidobacteriumFor example, they were more insobous in twins receiving inulin or FOS.
Mouse research suggests Bifidobacterium Reduces cognitive deficiencies by regulating bowel ligaments.
“We are glad to see these changes in only 12 weeks. This brings a huge promise to strengthen the health and memory of the brain in our aging population,” says Mary Ni Lochlen, a geriatric researcher at King’s College London when the discoveries were published in March 2024.
“Unlocking the secrets of the bowel axis can offer new approaches for a healthier living healthier.”
King’s College is home to the largest twin register for adults in the UK, and TWIN studies are very valuable when it comes to distinguishing between the effect of genetics and the environment on human health.
Past studies on rodents suggest that high fiber supplements such as inulin and FOS can “feed” the colon microbiome, allowing “good” bacteria to flourish.
Some of these bacterial players are also associated with improved cognitive function in both mice and humans.
Proof of the close link between the intestines and the brain grows year after year. Some experts are now so convinced of the results that they treat the bowel as a “second brain” of the body.
But the way these two nerve systems work together remains a mystery.
A recent TWIN study at KCL suggests that consuming certain “food foods” may be a promising way to treat a cognitive drop.
But although prebiotics can improve some aspects of cognitive function in the aging brain, such as memory and processing time, it seems that there are no significant physical benefits.
Muscle loss has not improved among aging twins who take high fiber supplements, despite the fact that inulin and FOS are important factors for maintaining musculoskeletal.
“These vegetable fibers, which are cheap and are offered to the counter, could benefit from a wide group of people in this money -bound money. They are also safe and acceptable,” said Geriar Claire Steves of KCL.
“Our next task is to see if these effects are maintained for longer periods and in larger groups of people.”
The twins who participated in the present test were mostly women, and although researchers adapted to gender differences in their discoveries, they admit that there may be some bias to selection among the KCL twin cohort.
However, women are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease and studies such as the present support the emerging idea that cognitive decline is not always a brain disease, but may also include external factors.
The intestines have fingers in many body “pies”, including the immune system and the central nervous system. Feeding your microbiome certain prebiotics and probiotics can open the door for the treatment of many diseases and diseases.
The study has been published in Natural communicationsS
A larger version of this article was published in March 2024.