Imagine your brain as a powerful computer. Now, picture it running slow and glitchy. That’s what happens with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). But guess what? Scientists have discovered that probiotics can give AD a cognitive boost, like upgrading your computer’s RAM! In this study, researchers wanted to see the effects of two different single-strain probiotics on cognition, physical activity, and anxiety in people with mild and moderate AD. They found that after 12 weeks of probiotic supplementation, cognitive function significantly improved compared to the placebo group. It’s like they kicked the glitchy software out and installed a new and improved version! Interestingly, one strain called Bifidobacterium longum showed even more benefits than the other strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus. It’s like having two options for upgrading your computer, and one turns out to be supercharged! These findings suggest that probiotics could be an effective adjuvant treatment for AD. So if you or someone you know is dealing with AD, it’s worth checking out the research and discussing probiotic supplements with a healthcare professional!

Probiotics have been suggested as an effective adjuvant treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) due to their modulating effect on the gut microbiota, which may affect the gut-brain axis. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of two different single-strain probiotics on cognition, physical activity, and anxiety in subjects with mild and moderate AD. Eligible patients (n = 90) with AD were randomly assigned to either of two interventions [Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-114 (1015 CFU) or Bifidobacterium longum R0175 (1015 CFU)] or placebo group, receiving probiotic supplement twice daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was cognitive function measured by using the two tests, namely, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the categorical verbal fluency test (CFT). Secondary outcomes included a performance in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. Linear mixed-effect models were used to investigate the independent effects of probiotics on clinical outcomes. After 12 weeks, MMSE significantly improved cognition (PInteraction < 0.0001), with post hoc comparisons identifying significantly more improvement in the B. longum intervention group (differences: 4.86, 95% CI: 3.91–5.81; P < 0.0001) compared with both the placebo and L. rhamnosus intervention groups (differences: 4.06, 95% CI: 3.11–5.01; P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between the two intervention groups (differences: −0.8, 95% CI: −1.74 to 0.14; P = 0.09). In conclusion, this trial demonstrated that 12-week probiotic supplementation compared with placebo had beneficial effects on the cognition status of patients with AD.

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