Probiotic: Some Brain Patterns Linger Weeks After Stopping
Graded Preliminary — a follow-up of a randomized trial with just 32 people in groups of 8 to 12, and the analysis was exploratory rather than planned in advance.
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Participants
- 32
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Funding
- AnaBio Technologies; Dr P Håkanssons Foundation; Örebro University (open access)
Some brain activity changes from a probiotic were still measurable in older adults weeks after they stopped taking it.
Probiotics are live bacteria taken as a supplement. The idea is that they help the brain through the link between gut and brain. What happens after people stop taking them had barely been studied. A small Swedish study found that some brain changes were still visible four to six weeks later, while others had faded.
Healthy older adults were first assigned at random to three groups. For six weeks they took a powder with the bacterium Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 in one of two forms, one packed in tiny capsules, or a dummy powder. Later, 32 of them returned for a brain scan. It showed how strongly brain regions work together at rest. The two probiotic forms differed in how two regions at the back of the brain connected. In the capsule group, scores on an anxiety and depression questionnaire fell after stopping, compared with the end of intake. They did not clearly differ from where they started. Brain volume showed no clear change.
Only about a third of the original participants came to this optional visit. Whether these brain patterns matter in daily life cannot be read from the study. Gut bacteria were not measured.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The study was funded by the company AnaBio Technologies; the authors declare no competing interests.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.