The Nutritional Science major discusses brain health and its effects on the gut.

Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of the Charger Blog. Today, I finally found some time to actually write, and I’m writing in one of my favorite places, Claire’s Corner Copia. For those unfamiliar, Claire’s is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in New Haven with friendly staff, Lithuanian coffee, and amazing cakes.

Speaking of food, in past blogs we talked in detail about the microbiome, what it is, and the foods that best feed it. But what really intrigued me was how a person’s gut microbial population influences neurological health.

Here in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases (Zhu et al.) and is defined as a dysfunction of the brain. Dementia occurs in everyone as the body’s cells deteriorate with age, but the degree and rate of dementia are determined by how the person lives their life. For example, when people ask me which muscles are the most important to train, I answer with my own version of the question.

“Which do you want to be stronger, your heart or your biceps?”

Although the brain is not physiologically a muscle, it certainly functions like a muscle. The more you use it, the better it functions. One reason to start memorizing early in your student life is to build neural pathways that strengthen your ability to remember things and actively recall them. The brain is incredibly malleable, so many interesting things tend to happen. This will speed up your ability to form biases, reduce the time it takes to solve similar problems, and more. Basically, your brain can be your best friend or your worst friend. Please choose one.

So, Alzheimer’s disease. The pathophysiology of this disease is characterized by the deposition of amyloid beta, leading to the formation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (which constitutes plaques and neurofibrillary tangles), resulting in synaptic loss and neuronal death (Zhu et al.). Synapses allow brain cells (neurons) to communicate with each other, similar to how cell phone signals work. Without synapses, the brain cannot talk to itself and nothing happens, increasing the horrific neurodegeneration that Alzheimer’s patients experience. However, the speed of this deterioration (note that not all of us are susceptible to this disease, I would like to go through your family history with a fine-toothed comb) may be due to lifestyle Don’t forget that it’s a dependent variable.

Use your brain = your brain remains.

Not using your brain = your brain not paying the rent.

As the medical field continues to discover new and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, “the gut microbiome plays a critical role in human physiology and pathophysiology” (Zhu et al. ) recognition of this fact is very promising for those in this field. Nutrition and Dietetics. In fact, many studies have shown that gut microbiome diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer, neurological diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease), metabolic diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, osteoporosis, and gout. (Zhu et al.).

Just as neurons “talk” to each other through synapses, the brain and gut are very closely connected, using the vagus nerve (X) as a communication highway between them. Similarly, if one is out of balance, the other can be affected as well. Personally, when I’m stressed, I don’t eat anything. Similarly, having a stomach ache can be quite irritating.

When it comes to behavioral patterns, “the major metabolites of gut microbes include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate and butyrate, which are involved in the regulation of brain and behavior through G protein-coupled receptors. ” (Zhu et al.). Remember that SCFAs are formed by maldigestion of fiber, and their function is primarily to support the intestinal wall of the gastrointestinal tract and protect the body from strange visitors that may slip through the mucosal barrier. please. What’s more important? Gut microbes can secrete neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine (alpha-1 adrenergic receptor), dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (Zhu et al.). NTs (neurotransmitters) are chemical messengers for the brain, just as hormones are chemical messengers for the body.

Now, let’s step back and look at this big picture a little bit.

Proper Nutrition → Good Microbiome → Good Brain-Body Communication → Happy Human → Continue Proper Nutrition → Repeat.

In Alzheimer’s patients, clinical trials “demonstrated low abundance in Alzheimer’s patients.” eubacteria rectum and Bacillus subtilis and more Escherichia Staphylococcus rubra Their stools decreased compared to other groups” (Zhu et al.). His latter two types of bacteria are quite troublesome. These are commonly associated with food poisoning that causes numerous symptoms in the host.

Even more concerning is that “the microbiomes of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease have a lower proportion of bacteria that synthesize butyrate, which contributes to anti-inflammatory activity and immunomodulation, and which is known to cause a pro-inflammatory state. The richness of the taxa present is shown” (Zhu et al.). In summary, what we are seeing is that as we age, the composition of the gut microbiome, like the rest of the body, becomes increasingly dysfunctional.

So… what’s the solution?

Well, let’s start with pro, pre, synbiotics. As mentioned in a previous article, these bad guys help populate, nourish, and support the existing microbiome in your digestive tract. Interestingly, a study conducted by Akbari et al. found that “compared to Alzheimer’s disease patients treated with regular milk, patients who consumed macronutrient-rich milk had lower lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium species showed significant results (P 0.001) improvement in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores” (Zhu et al.).

Save yourself the hassle of Google: (P less than 0.001) corresponds to a probability of 1 in 1,000. probably.

both lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium It is an important species of the intestinal microbiota. I’d love to talk more about them, but I’m almost at 4 pages in my Google Doc, and I’m not sure if my editor will like it, haha.

In summary, there is a trend across the health science field that once the gut microbiome is established, maintained, and given the nutrients it needs to thrive, it does a pretty good job of providing a variety of health benefits to the host. there is. For Alzheimer’s disease in particular, I believe that further research into the gut-brain relationship through clinical trials will help alleviate the effects of this disease. who knows? Perhaps microbes have always been the answer. I’m not saying there will be a cure or a cure for neurodegenerative diseases, but I strongly believe that more holistic, non-invasive treatments may be possible in the future.

I hope everyone has a great week and doesn’t let anyone down in the finals. I can only do my best. That’s what everyone wants.

you got this.

With peace, love, and peanut butter,
beatrice

Beatrice Glaviano ’26 is majoring in nutritional sciences at the University of New Haven.

Works Cited

Dr Ruairi Robertson. “Why Bifidobacterium is good for the body” health line, Healthline Media, July 25, 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-bifidobacteria-are-good. Accessed April 30, 2024.

Zhu, Xueling, et al. “Relationship between gut microbiota and neurodegenerative diseases” neuroscience bulletin, vol. 37, July 3, 2021, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12264-021-00730-8, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-021-00730-8. Accessed April 19, 2024.