ISLAMABAD, March 08 (Online): Diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease can cause the normal mild cognitive decline of an aging brain to worsen.
\nThere is currently no cure for dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease.
\nResearchers from King\u2019s College London have found that taking a dietary fiber supplement may help improve brain function in older adults.<\/p>\n
As we age, all parts of the body \u2014 including the brain \u2014 begin to slow down. It is normal for a person to have trouble multitasking, finding certain words, or remembering names in a healthy aging brainTrusted Source.In some cases, diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease can cause mild cognitive decline of an aging brain to worsen. This can lead to more serious issues including memory loss, inability to plan or solve problems, speaking or writing difficulties, mood changes, anxiety, sleeping issues, and confusion with places, dates, and times.<\/p>\n
While there is currently no cure for dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease, adopting healthy lifestyle choicesTrusted Source and certain medications may help slow its progression.Now, researchers from King\u2019s College London have found that taking a dietary fiber supplement may help improve brain function in older adults.<\/p>\n
Scientists also found that the fiber supplements did not affect participants\u2019 muscle strength.
\nThe study was recently published in the journal Nature CommunicationsTrusted Source.
\nAn increasingly older global population
\nAccording to the World Health OrganizationTrusted Source, the world\u2019s population is aging at a more rapid rate than in the past and people are living to a much older age. The number of people aged 60 and older globally was about 1.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit 2.1 billion by 2050.<\/p>\n
With this increase in aging worldwide, it is important to have new ways to combat age-related conditions such as cognitive decline, Dr. Claire Steves, professor of aging and health and head of the Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology at King\u2019s College London and senior author of this study told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this comes an increase in the number of age-related conditions, which have a major impact on the ability of older people to continue to live well independently,\u201d Dr. Steves continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lack effective treatments for many age-related conditions, so it is really important that we focus our energies in this area. We need to research these topics more to expand our knowledge on ways to prevent, slow, and indeed reverse age-associated declines, wherever possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Two prebiotic fiber supplements
\nFor this study, Dr. Steves and her team focused on two prebiotic supplements \u2014 the dietary fiber inulin and the plant-based carbohydrate fructooligosaccharides (FOS).<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch in recent years has shown that the bacteria within our guts, known as the gut microbiome, are linked to our health and well-being. Studies have shown connections between these bacteria and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis. Connections have also been shown with other organs including with muscle health. We decided to test whether improving the health of the gut bacteria using a prebiotic could improve brain and muscle function,\u201d Dr. Steves explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that inulin and FOS are safe, cheaply accessible, commercially available prebiotic supplements associated with healthy gut bacteria. We were also influenced by another trial which looked at inulin and FOS in a nursing home population. They showed improvements in hand grip strength, exhaustion levels, and overall measures of frailty, in those who had the inulin and FOS supplement,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
Previous studies have found that inulin changes the gut microbiome, helps reduce neuroinflammationTrusted Source, and improves traumatic brain injuryTrusted Source recovery.<\/p>\n
Research regarding FOS has reported the supplement may help weakenTrusted Source the development of Alzheimer\u2019s disease by reducing beta-amyloidTrusted Source in the brain, and assist with lowering neuroinflammation and improving memoryTrusted Source.<\/p>\n
Fiber improves brain function
\nResearchers recruited 36 pairs of twins over the age of 60 for this study. One twin in each pair was given a dietary fiber supplement each day for 12 weeks, while the other twin received a placebo.<\/p>\n
Scientists monitored the study participants through video, online questionnaires, and cognitive tests. Additionally, participants were asked to participate in resistance exercises and also ate a protein supplement aimed at improving muscle function.<\/p>\n
The study was double-blind in which neither the analysis team nor the study participants knew which they received until the study was finished.<\/p>\n
At the study\u2019s conclusion, researchers found the group receiving a fiber supplement had improved performance in brain function assessment tests, including the Paired Associates Learning testTrusted Source \u2014 an early marker for Alzheimer\u2019s disease \u2014 as well as reaction time and processing speed tests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were pleasantly surprised to find that those who received the prebiotic supplement had an improvement in memory and thinking tests compared to the placebo, over a 12-week time frame,\u201d Dr. Steves said. \u201cWe know there is a connection between the gut bacteria and the brain, so this study provides further evidence of this link, and is hugely promising for future studies aiming to improve memory and prevent declines with age.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have shown that a simple, cheap, and accessible fiber supplement, which leads to increased numbers of healthy bacteria in the gut, can actually influence brain function and memory test results,\u201d she added. \u201cSeeing this positive result in just three months holds huge promise for enhancing memory and brain health in our aging population.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scientists did report there was no significant difference in muscle strength between the supplement and placebo groups.<\/p>\n
Further research needed
\nMNT also spoke with Dr. Clifford Segil, a neurologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about this study.<\/p>\n
Dr. Segil said he agreed with the study authors that it\u2019s difficult to report improvements in cognition and for the study to have clinical meaningfulness at this stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after reading the study, I like to say you are what you eat, but sometimes your brain is not what you eat so it\u2019s hard to say that changing your diet is going to make you not age, have better muscles, and better cognition,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough, poor diets are associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular and heart risk factors. So even though I can\u2019t say adding fiber may or may not help, there\u2019s clearly things that you shouldn\u2019t eat \u2014 it\u2019s harder to say what you should eat,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Dr. Segil said he would like to see blood tests to accompany this research to see if participants\u2019 sugars and albumin go up or down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to see these kinds of tests repeated with some blood tests to provide more meaningful data to a physician like myself, to see if these kinds of things change things in the blood,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd then if it changes things in the blood, the next step would be (to) see if they change things in the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fiber\u2019s positive impact on the brain
\nMNT also spoke with two registered dietician nutritionists for their reaction to this study\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing the connection between the gut-brain axis, I was not surprised that the study observed a positive impact on cognitive health markers by way of prebiotic supplementation,\u201d Monique Richard, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight explained to MNT.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe metabolic byproducts from microbes as they break down, ferment, and consume food such as fiber \u2014 inulin and FOS used in the study \u2014 create other compounds which can be anti-inflammatory, protective, and beneficial for other systems in the body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne side effect of decreased inflammation is (a) possible reduction in brain fog, forgetfulness, confusion or lethargy. Gut microbiota can also assist in forming co-factors \u2014 specific nutrient helpers \u2014 that optimize pathways for neurotransmitter conduction and assist in the chain of events that helps parts of our brain function on all cylinders,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often encourage my clients to increase their fiber intake for a whole host of reasons such as lowering blood sugar and cholesterol or to support digestion,\u201d Molly Rapozo, registered dietitian nutritionist and senior nutrition and health educator at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, told MNT. \u201cSince improving cognition is the primary goal of my patient population, this kind of research outcome will be very motivating for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whole food sources of prebiotic fiber
\nBoth Rapozo and Richard said they would be interested to see similar research carried out with whole food sources of prebiotic fiber rather than supplements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would encourage readers to think about fiber as part of a whole food approach, meaning it is just one component of all the nutrients and variety of compounds we need for a healthy gut. Learn what foods are particularly rich in fiber \u2014 hint: fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, (and) whole grains \u2014 that you like and will eat,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n
HOW MUCH FIBER TO EAT
\n\u201cA very general recommendation is to shoot for consuming 25-35 gm of fiber a day. As an example, 1\/2 cup of beans can range from 6\u20139 grams of fiber, depending on the type of bean\/pulse.\u201d
\n\u2014 Monique Richard, registered dietitian nutritionist<\/p>\n
\u201cPull up a chart onlineTrusted Source listing the amounts of fiber in certain foods to gauge how much you may be taking in a day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh-fiber whole foods include additional prebiotic fibers \u2014 as the study supplemented with two instead of all four typesTrusted Source \u2014 as well as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals,\u201d Rapozo explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe following common vegetables are high in prebiotic fiber: garlic, onion\/leek\/shallot, asparagus, beets, fennel, green peas, snow peas, corn, and cabbage. Legumes that are a good source of prebiotics are chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, and soybeans. Fruit sources include apples, nectarines, peaches, persimmon, watermelon, grapefruit, and pomegranate. Whole grains include barley, rye, wheat, and oats. Cashew and pistachio nuts are high in prebiotic fiber as well.\u201d
\n\u2014 Molly Rapozo, registered dietitian nutritionist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, March 08 (Online): Diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease can cause the normal mild cognitive decline of an aging brain to worsen. There is currently no cure for dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Researchers from King\u2019s College London have found that taking a dietary […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":103250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9821],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-health-news"],"yoast_head":"\n