Probiotics help with more than gut health

– they could protect against dementia too, study suggests

• Probiotic supplements are already known to help with gut problems, such as IBS
• But now scientists suggest they could also slow cognitive decline in old age
• READ MORE: FDA warns probiotics can kill babies after infant died 

By CAITLIN TILLEY, HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

A key to preventing memory loss in old age could lie with probiotics and the ‘gut-brain axis.’ 

Probiotic supplements are already known to help with gut health and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastrointestinal issues after a course of antibiotics by helping to rebalance the good bacteria in the gut.

But probiotics may also stall cognitive decline and dementia as you age, said Jessica Eastwood, a nutritional psychology researcher at the University of Reading in England.

Exactly how this works is not fully understood by researchers, but it is thought the brain and gut are intimately linked, meaning if your gut health improves, so will your brain health.

More than six million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. The condition is the sixth leading cause of death in the US.

Probiotics may also stall cognitive decline as you age, said Jessica Eastwood, a nutritional psychology researcher at the University of Reading in England