A new study found a daily Probiotic supplement containing the Bifidobacterium longum strain, may improve measures of cognitive function like attention and memory in older people.
60 older people who were considered to be healthy participated in this randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Participants were separate into two groups. One group received the probiotics daily at a dosage of 50 billion organisms. The other group received a placebo. The trial lasted 8 weeks. 50 of the participants finished the trial. RBANS (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status) which is made up of 12 cognitive items divided into 5 global categories like delayed memory, attention, language, visual space/structure, and immediate memory, was used to access results.
Participants in the Probiotic group showed significant improvements in total RBANS functioning increasing their global scoring by almost 19 points more than the scores seen in the placebo group. Significant improvements were seen in figure recall, story recall, coding, line orientation, figure copy and story memory. Additionally, analysis of the gut microbiota composition showed increases in the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the supplement group. The strains seen in these analyses have been associated with increased support for Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, Parkinson’s disease, depression and anxiety. Lastly the supplement group also had a reduction in the amount of bacteria associated with cognitive impairment.
This study supports the growing research which supports the microbiota-gut-brain axis and its interaction between the intestinal tract and the nervous system.
Further studies need to be performed with larger study groups.
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