TY - JOUR
T1 - Targeting Cognitive Resilience through Prebiotics
T2 - A Focused Perspective
AU - Dalile, Boushra
AU - Boyle, Neil B.
AU - Ruiz, Franco T.
AU - Chakrabarti, Anirikh
AU - Respondek, Frederique
AU - Dodd, Georgina F.
AU - Kadosh, Kathrin Cohen
AU - Hepsomali, Piril
AU - Brummer, Robert J.
AU - McArthur, Simon
AU - Dam, Veerle
AU - Zanzer, Yoghatama Cindya
AU - Vermeiren, Yannick
AU - Schellekens, Harriet
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - This perspective article is a product of the work of an expert group within the Prebiotic Task Force convened by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe, a non-profit organization that brings together experts from academia, industry, and public service to catalyze nutrition science for public benefit. An expert group was conceived in October 2023 to discuss the evidence base on the use of prebiotics to promote cognitive functioning, with a focus on highlighting knowledge gaps and proposing a list of recommendations to guide this specific area of research forward. To address this, we evaluated existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human intervention studies that examine the effects of prebiotics on cognitive functioning. These are predominantly conducted in healthy participants under basal conditions and have, to date, revealed limited effects. In this perspective, we propose that prebiotics should be investigated as agents to promote cognitive resilience by testing their effects on cognitive performance under certain cognition-taxing factors that individuals encounter across their lifespan. These include stress, poor sleep outcomes, sedentary behavior, and unhealthy dietary patterns, all of which have been shown to be associated with altered microbiome and impact global cognition or specific cognitive domains. In addition, we recommend identifying vulnerable populations that are either subclinical or that struggle chronically or periodically with 1 or more cognition-taxing factors, to better uncover the boundary conditions for prebiotic effectiveness. By broadening the scope of research to include diverse populations and challenging conditions in daily life or experimental settings, we can expand our understanding of the role of prebiotics not only in cognitive health or impairment, but also as potential preventative agents that may promote cognitive resilience during aging and in response to various lifestyle-related challenges.
AB - This perspective article is a product of the work of an expert group within the Prebiotic Task Force convened by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe, a non-profit organization that brings together experts from academia, industry, and public service to catalyze nutrition science for public benefit. An expert group was conceived in October 2023 to discuss the evidence base on the use of prebiotics to promote cognitive functioning, with a focus on highlighting knowledge gaps and proposing a list of recommendations to guide this specific area of research forward. To address this, we evaluated existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human intervention studies that examine the effects of prebiotics on cognitive functioning. These are predominantly conducted in healthy participants under basal conditions and have, to date, revealed limited effects. In this perspective, we propose that prebiotics should be investigated as agents to promote cognitive resilience by testing their effects on cognitive performance under certain cognition-taxing factors that individuals encounter across their lifespan. These include stress, poor sleep outcomes, sedentary behavior, and unhealthy dietary patterns, all of which have been shown to be associated with altered microbiome and impact global cognition or specific cognitive domains. In addition, we recommend identifying vulnerable populations that are either subclinical or that struggle chronically or periodically with 1 or more cognition-taxing factors, to better uncover the boundary conditions for prebiotic effectiveness. By broadening the scope of research to include diverse populations and challenging conditions in daily life or experimental settings, we can expand our understanding of the role of prebiotics not only in cognitive health or impairment, but also as potential preventative agents that may promote cognitive resilience during aging and in response to various lifestyle-related challenges.
KW - cognition
KW - cognitive resilience
KW - gut microbiota
KW - gut-brain axis
KW - nutritional interventions
KW - prebiotics
KW - sedentary behavior
KW - sleep
KW - stress
U2 - 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100343
DO - 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100343
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85210720320
SN - 2161-8313
VL - 16
JO - Advances in Nutrition
JF - Advances in Nutrition
IS - 1
M1 - 100343
ER -
