August 8, 2022 Puzzle Piece
The legendary
Fountain of Youth is a magical spring that
restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales
of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of
years.
The mythical fountain has never been found; however, new research
suggests there’s an easy way to turn back the hands of time for at least
one part of the body—
your brain.
The study, conducted on mice, determined that it was possible to reverse aging in the brain by restoring microbes in the gut.
The research was conducted at
APC Microbiome Ireland at
University College Cork and was published in the international scientific journal
Nature Aging. The researchers called the study ground-breaking since it opens up a new sphere of study involving the gut-brain axis.
The gut-brain axis
The gut–brain axis is the biochemical signaling process that takes place
between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. In
most scientific studies, the term “gut–brain axis” refers specifically
to the role that gut flora plays in this communication. Though some
scientists point out this would technically be “microbiota–gut–brain
axis” for most people the shorter terminology has come to represent the
communication between gut microbes and brain.
As people age it becomes more difficult to maintain healthy brain
function. Though this fact of life is not new, many countries—like the
U.S., India and China—are facing growing elderly populations. With this
in mind, researchers have been exploring new therapeutic avenues in the
form of microbial-based interventions to slow down brain aging and
associated cognitive problems.
The research team was led by Prof John F. Cryan, Vice President for Research & Innovation,
University College Cork as well as a principal investigator at
APC Microbiome Ireland an
SFI Research Centre, also based in
University College Cork.
“Previous research published by the APC and other groups internationally
has shown that the gut microbiome plays a key role in aging and the
aging process. This new research is a potential game changer, as we have
established that the microbiome can be harnessed to reverse age-related
brain deterioration. We also see evidence of improved learning ability
and cognitive function,” said Prof Cryan.
Preliminary study
As promising as the research is, the researchers warn it is just
preliminary. For now the research has only been conducted on mice. “It
is still early days and much more work is needed to see how these
findings could be translated in humans,” the researchers wrote.
In addition, the improvements in brain function in the older mice was
accomplished by directly transplanting microbes from young animals into
their elderly counterparts. It still remains to be seen if the same
results can be duplicated by improving the gut microbiome with probiotic
supplements and foods.
Still, the researchers note there is a growing appreciation of the
importance of the microbes in the gut on all aspects of physiology and
medicine, and based on earlier gut-brain studies, it is not surprising
that preliminary findings suggest that a healthier gut equates to a
younger brain.
The researchers summarized: “The study opens up possibilities in the
future to modulate gut microbiota as a therapeutic target to influence
brain health.”
With that in mind, it’s likely we will one day see an expanded role for
probiotics. A role where probiotics are not only a digestion and immune
defense nutrient—but also a
brain nutrient.
Optimal Health Systems has
long recognized the importance of maintaining an optimal gut-brain axis
and offers a number of products containing multiple-strain probiotic
blends. Click links below to learn more:
•
Optimal Flora Plus
•
21-Day Blitz Challenge Package
•
Opti-GI
•
Natural Z Pak
•
Optimal Immune VRL
Yours in Health and Wellness,
John W Brimhall, DC, FIAMA, DIBAK, Formulator