The International Quant Championship (IQC) is one of the world's largest quantitative research competitions, bringing together 156,000+ participants globally.

Participants have the opportunity to develop quantitative research skills, challenge themselves alongside peers from around the world and connect with a global community of quantitative thinkers.

Build skills on WorldQuant BRAIN®

I’m a fan of fermented foods. I’ve been making yogurt and kefir at home for the last few years, and occasionally I make sauerkraut (yeah, very German 😅).

Now I've got my son on board, too, who’s experimenting with fermentation at home. The kitchen is currently full of his experiments!

Fermentation is more than just an interesting process of transforming food or liquids into something else with the help of bacteria or fungi: Some fermented products contain live microorganisms that may also protect your brain.

A specific type of these microorganisms is called probiotics: certain strains of microorganisms that have been reported to have health benefits.

And a new study tested the effects of daily probiotic supplementation in people over 60 with mild cognitive decline and found promising results.

(Just one thing before we get into the study: fermentation doesn’t guarantee that a food still contains live microbes when you eat it, and a food containing live microbes isn’t automatically a probiotic. That term refers to live microorganisms shown to provide a health benefit when taken in adequate amounts.)

The question behind this study was whether probiotics could help people with mild cognitive decline before their symptoms become more serious. That means people in this study didn’t fulfill the criteria for a dementia diagnosis yet, but they showed some early signs.

The design was a randomized controlled trial, with one group of 40 participants receiving a probiotic supplement daily and the other group (47 participants) receiving an identical-looking placebo. Neither the participants nor the staff members who administered the probiotic or placebo knew which group each participant belonged to (a double-blind procedure). The intervention lasted 24 weeks.

The probiotic was administered in sachet form and contained two strains of Lactobacillus and one Bifidobacterium strain.

Here’s what the researchers measured at the beginning of the study and after 24 weeks:

The two groups were comparable on these measures at the beginning of the study. Age, gender distribution, and years of education were also comparable.

Regarding the blood biomarkers, pTau181 decreased significantly in the probiotic group compared with the placebo group, whereas GFAP and NfL increased in the placebo group but not in the probiotic group. In other words, blood biomarker levels evolved in a more favorable way in the probiotic group than the placebo group.

One inflammation marker, IL-1β, decreased in both groups, but the decrease was greater with the probiotic treatment than with placebo. There were no significant changes in the other inflammation markers.

Finally, regarding the cognitive measures, the probiotic group, compared to the placebo group, showed significant improvements in one dementia scale, specifically in the memory domain, and in visuospatial function. There were no significant group differences in the other cognitive measures after 24 weeks.

To sum up, 24 weeks of daily probiotic supplementation had positive effects on blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, and there were also improvements in one inflammation marker and some aspects of cognitive function.

An additional study reporting brain scans from 32 members of the probiotics and 36 members of the placebo group found increases in the surface areas of two brain regions related to visuospatial processing in the probiotic group after one year. The study isn’t peer-reviewed yet, so we must be cautious with its results, but it’s interesting that probiotic supplementation might lead to anatomical changes in the brain.

The finding that daily probiotic consumption in the present study led to several favorable outcomes and a potential protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease adds to the research showing that something that helps your gut could also help your brain.

The exact mechanism behind these findings still needs further exploration, especially because this study didn’t test whether probiotic supplementation changed the gut microbiome. We also need more long-term evidence (ideally over several years) to better capture the effects of probiotics on the brain and in dementia prevention, but the results are still promising.

Adding more probiotics to your life could be a non-pharmacological way to protect your brain. They're tolerated well by most people (but be careful if you have GI issues!).

One option is to consume more fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, unpasteurized sauerkraut, kombucha, etc.), although the term “probiotic” on industrial products isn’t well regulated, and the probiotic content in homemade products isn’t established. The other option is to take a supplement.

What I do: I buy supplements in capsule form and use them to ferment my yogurt. But that’s just what I do, not a general recommendation! I do it mainly because I like homemade yogurt and kefir, and because emerging evidence suggests they might have some health benefits.

If you want to continue reading, here’s a previous issue on gut health.

What else I’ve been up to:

Modern technology offers distractions so we never have to be bored again. But what happens when people are asked to just sit with their thoughts? And why might it sometimes make sense to just be present and notice things within and around you? That’s the topic of my latest Medium article!

Not a Medium member? Read this story for free with my friend link.

That’s it for today!

And now?

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Patricia Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com

P.S.:

Disclaimer:
1) This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical or mental health advice and is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition, medications, or supplements, and before making any changes to your health routine.
2) This newsletter may contain links to third-party offers and newsletters. The author is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of these external sites but may receive compensation when you sign up for them, at no additional cost to you. This newsletter is free, and sponsorships, ads, and affiliate partnerships help me fund it. Thank you for supporting my writing.