Can Probiotics Boost Memory in Alzheimer's Patients?

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Bui Ngoc Phuong Hoa - Neurosurgeon - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.

Recently, researchers said that people with Alzheimer's disease can improve their memory and thinking skills by taking probiotics and Probiotics can boost the memory of Alzheimer's patients.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia. Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease begin slowly and get worse over time.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80% of dementia cases. Most people with this disease are diagnosed after the age of 65.
Alzheimer's disease currently has no cure, but there are treatments that can slow the progression of the disease.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. Your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often referred to as "good" or "good" bacteria, because they help keep your gut healthy.
Probiotics are found naturally in fermented foods, such as yogurt, fermented soy products, sauerkraut and kefir. They are also available as high-dose probiotic drinks, lyophilized powders, capsules and tablets. These beneficial bacteria can help balance the microbial levels in the gut and reduce the number of harmful bacteria.
Researchers are trying to understand exactly how probiotics work. Some ways probiotics can keep you healthy:
When you lose beneficial bacteria in your body, such as after you take antibiotics, probiotics can help replace them. They can help balance "good" and "bad" bacteria to keep your body functioning properly.

Research on probiotics has shown that they can help protect you from certain conditions, including: diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, and tooth decay. However, scientists have also considered whether they can boost brain function.
For example, tests with rats have shown that probiotics improve learning and memory, and also reduce anxiety and depression. Is the claim that probiotics enhance memory in Alzheimer's patients?
A new study shows that a daily dose of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria, taken for 12 weeks, is enough to moderately improve scores of Alzheimer's patients for various mental tasks.
The latest study by a team of scientists from Kashan University of Health Sciences and Azad Islamic University in Iran claims to be the first to demonstrate this effect in humans.
Their small clinical trial lasted 12 weeks, involving 52 men and women aged 60 to 95 years with Alzheimer's disease. The patients were divided into two groups, with half receiving 200ml of milk per day that had been fortified with four probiotics, namely Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. fermentum and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Those in the second group were given only whole milk.

All participants completed a test that measured different mental abilities, including a person's memory, attention, and language skills. The highest possible score on the test was 30.
Researchers found that over the course of the study, the average score of the probiotic volunteers increased from 8.7 to 10, 6. In contrast, those given regular milk had their scores dropped from 8.5 to 8.0.
They admitted that all participants, no matter what group they belonged to, scored poorly on memory and thinking skills. But they say the difference in outcomes between the two groups is significant.
The researchers say they think metabolic changes may be to blame for the differences between the groups. For example, those given probiotics also showed improvements in insulin and lipid metabolism.
Professor Mahmoud Salami from Kashan University, the study's author, said in a statement: "In a previous study, we showed that probiotic treatment improves learning and intelligence spatial memory in diabetic rats, but this is the first time that probiotic supplementation has been shown to benefit cognition in humans with dementia.”
However, we still need more research to prove that probiotics enhance memory in Alzheimer's patients.