New Delhi— An Indian-origin researcher in the U.S. has developed a promising probiotic cocktail that could help prevent dementia, a debilitating condition that affects over 57 million people worldwide by impairing memory, cognition, and daily functioning.
Hariom Yadav, a scientist at the University of South Florida, created the unique blend of probiotics to positively influence the gut microbiome — the vast community of trillions of microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract. Disruptions in this system have been increasingly linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
Published in Scientific Reports, the study suggests the cocktail may serve as a novel therapeutic tool to slow the onset or progression of cognitive decline. The research focused on how gut health impacts brain function through the gut-brain axis — a connection that allows gut microbiota to influence inflammation, protein buildup, and blood-brain barrier integrity.
In the experiment, researchers administered the probiotic cocktail to mice through their drinking water over 16 weeks. The mice were then tested in a water maze, where those given the probiotic blend consistently found the hidden platform more quickly than the control group, indicating improved cognitive function.
The cocktail also helped reduce proteins associated with amyloid plaque buildup in the brain — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s — and decreased brain inflammation. It further appeared to strengthen the blood-brain barrier, preventing harmful microbes from leaking into brain tissue.
“Most people focus on individual strains of probiotics, but we discovered that combining them into a consortium makes them significantly more powerful at reshaping the microbiome — switching it from harmful to beneficial,” Yadav explained.
The probiotic mix was particularly effective at suppressing gut bacteria known to trigger inflammation, which is often implicated in both gut and brain disorders.
Yadav and his team are now in discussions with several companies to commercialize the probiotic cocktail, aiming to make it available as a preventative therapy for Alzheimer’s and related conditions.
If successful, the formulation could offer a simple, non-invasive way to support brain health through targeted gut therapy. (Source: IANS)
