One fibre supplement a day may help brains of over 60s

A DAILY fibre supplement could help improve brain function in over 60-yearolds in just 12 weeks, research suggests.

The study showed that the simple and cheap addition of prebiotics – plant fibres that help healthy bacteria grow in your gut – to diet can improve performance in memory tests associated with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

However, the supplements inulin and Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) were found to have no effect on muscle strength over the three months.

First author Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn from King’s College London, said: “This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our ageing population.

“Unlocking the secrets of the gutbrain axis could offer new approaches for living more healthily for longer.”

Researchers at TwinsUK, the UK’s largest adult twin registry and based at King’s, looked at how targeting the microorganisms in the intestines could have an impact upon both muscle health and brain function. Thirty-six twin pairs over the age of 60 years were given either sachets of a dummy supplement or the actual thing every day for 12 weeks.

Everyone in the study also carried out resistance exercises and ate a protein supplement which was aimed at improving muscle function. Researchers found the fibre supplement led to significant changes in the makeup of a person’s gut microbiome (bacteria).

According to the study, published in

there was a particular increase in the numbers of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium.

The group receiving the fibre supplement did better in brain function tests, including an early marker for Alzheimer’s disease, together with tests of reaction time and processing speed.

Researchers suggest these measures are important for everyday activities like reacting to traffic or stopping a simple trip-up turning into a fall.