Abstract

A growing body of research studies the relationship between probiotic bacteria in the gut and the host organism, including the impact on cognitive functioning. Data from human studies are scarce; however, recent studies point toward the beneficial role of probiotics for cognitive functioning. One of the mechanisms involved in this relationship is the probiotic’s ability to influence inflammation and immune response. The aim of this initial study was to investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation with Bifidobacterium Lactis BS01 and Lactobacillus Acidophilus LA02 on cognitive functioning in healthy, young adult females. A total of 53 participants aged 19–31 were enrolled, and 38 completed the trial. A 6-week probiotic or placebo treatment was conducted. Five measures of cognitive functioning were applied pre- and post-treatment. Both groups showed general improvement at the second assessment. Contrary to our hypothesis, the placebo group improved slightly, but significantly, in four out of five measures of cognitive functioning, with the exception of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The supplementation group improved significantly in two measures of the WCST, compared to the placebo group. Similar results have been previously reported. Probiotic supplementation, while not harmful, might not be beneficial for cognition in the healthy population, or at least not universally.

摘要

越来越多的研究研究肠道益生菌与宿主有机体之间的关系，包括对认知功能的影响。来自人类研究的数据很少；然而，最近的研究表明益生菌对认知功能具有有益作用。这种关系涉及的机制之一是益生菌影响炎症和免疫反应的能力。这项初步研究的目的是调查补充乳双歧杆菌BS01 和嗜酸乳杆菌LA02 益生菌对健康年轻成年女性认知功能的影响。共有 53 名 19-31 岁的参与者入组，其中 38 人完成了试验。进行了为期 6 周的益生菌或安慰剂治疗。在治疗前和治疗后应用了五种认知功能测量方法。两组在第二次评估中均表现出总体进步。与我们的假设相反，安慰剂组在五分之四的认知功能测量中略有改善，但显着改善，威斯康星卡片分类测试（WCST）除外。与安慰剂组相比，补充剂组在 WCST 的两项测量中显着改善。类似的结果此前已有报道。补充益生菌虽然无害，但可能对健康人群的认知没有好处，或者至少不是普遍有益。