Cheap supplements that payout big for an aging brain

Your gut is almost a universe unto itself.

It is populated by trillions of microbes that, when balanced, keep the gut healthy and influence the health of other parts of the body as well.

In fact, some scientists call the gut the body’s “second brain” because the gut is so closely tied to the brain through what is known as the gut-brain axis.

That’s why it’s so important to nurture it. One way to do that is by feeding it healthy flora in the form of probiotics, and by making sure those friendly bacteria have something to eat so they thrive.

This is where some particularly important — and cheap — prebiotics come in that could protect our brains as they age…

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The magic of inulin

Prebiotics like the soluble fiber inulin break down into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that provide nourishment to friendly bacteria in the gut. In fact, the amount of SFCAs produced in the gut is often used as an indicator of the gut’s health status.

Inulin can make you feel fuller, reduce cravings and help you lose weight. It can also reduce diabetes risk, slow the growth of melanoma and colon cancer and help with stroke recovery. It’s also been associated with lowering dementia risk.

So it’s not surprising that researchers at King’s College London (KCL) were particularly interested in the effect of inulin and another soluble fiber supplement, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), on the aging brain. FOS is a carbohydrate found in plants sometimes used as a low-calorie sweetener.

Experts say nearly two-thirds of the 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women. For that reason, 36 pairs of female twins over the age of 60 were enrolled in the study.

One twin in each pair was randomly chosen to receive one of the prebiotics in a daily protein powder and the other to receive a placebo.

Just 12 weeks later, the twins were given cognitive tests similar to those used to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The twins taking inulin or FOS every day generally scored higher on the visual memory and learning test than the twins taking the placebo.

What’s more, there were slight differences in the gut microbiome between twins. For example, the twins taking inulin or FOS had more of the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium, a probiotic bacteria found to reduce cognitive deficits in mice by regulating gut-brain connections.

“This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our aging population,” says Mary Ni Lochlainn, a geriatric medicine researcher at King’s College London. “Unlocking the secrets of the gut-brain axis could offer new approaches for living more healthily for longer.”

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Getting FOS and inulin in your diet

Past studies of high-fiber supplements like inulin and FOS suggest they can feed the gut’s microbiome and its “good” bacteria, some linked to improved cognitive function in both mice and humans.

The researchers emphasize that both inulin and FOS supplements are inexpensive and available over the counter. You can also get inulin and FOS from these foods:

Chicory root
Jerusalem artichokes
Onions
Garlic
Asparagus
Bananas

FOS is also found in cereal grains (avoid refined grains, though) like barley, wheat and oats, as well as blue agave.

If you want to really supercharge your gut health, pair these prebiotics with probiotics. You can take a probiotic supplement, or you can eat fermented foods that contain live probiotic cultures, like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, tempeh and miso to name a few.

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Sources:

Cheap Daily Supplement Seems to Boost Brain Function in Older Adults — Science Alert

Effect of gut microbiome modulation on muscle function and cognition: the PROMOTe randomised controlled trial — Nature Communications

Plant Prebiotics and Their Role in the Amelioration of Diseases — Biomolecules

Dietary fructooligosaccharides and potential benefits on health — Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry