The intestinal flora plays an important role in overall health and also appears to have a significant impact on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. With the right diet, the intestinal flora can apparently be influenced in such a way that it has a certain protective effect against Alzheimer’s.
A new study involving experts from the University of Western Sydney examined how microbial diversity influences the characteristic changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease and the role of confounding factors such as diet, probiotics and prebiotics in the progression of the disease. The results can be read in the English-language specialist magazine “Nutrients”.
More and more people are affected by Alzheimer’s
Millions of people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, and the researchers involved in the current study assume that the number of sufferers will more than triple by 2050.
Although Alzheimer’s disease affects so many people, the underlying pathology is still not well understood. This makes early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s particularly difficult, the team reports.
How intestinal dysbiosis and Alzheimer’s are related
The new study results now show that intestinal dysbiosis appears to play a central role in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Intestinal dysbiosis refers to a condition in which the balance of microorganisms in the intestine is disturbed.
The complex interplay between intestinal flora and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease includes abnormalities in beta-amyloid, tau phosphorylation, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter dysregulation and oxidative stress, the experts explain.
According to the researchers, these findings could also lead to a non-invasive diagnostic option and a potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.
Intestinal flora and neurodegenerative diseases
A possible connection between changes in intestinal flora and the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases was already examined in a previous study published in the English-language “Journal of Education, Health and Sport”.
The experts involved in this research cite inflammation and a decrease in the amount of bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids as probable reasons for the connection between the development of Alzheimer’s and the intestinal flora.
Proper nutrition protects against Alzheimer’s
Experts also assume that an early switch to a Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s through its effect on the intestinal flora.
Another current study, which can be read in “Food Science and Human Wellness”, also deals with the influence of intestinal flora on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The experts involved report that it is apparently possible to influence the intestinal flora through the right diet and physical activity in such a way that various advantages for cognitive functions arise.
Modulating intestinal flora through diet and physical activity could offer a promising opportunity to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, the research team concludes.
The results of the studies all point to the beneficial influence of a healthy diet – especially the Mediterranean diet – on the risk of Alzheimer’s, and the effects on the intestinal flora obviously play a decisive role. (as)
