Effects of probiotic supplements on cognition, anxiety, and physical activity in subjects with mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study

Study answer

What this study found

Both probiotic strains improved cognition and anxiety over 12 weeks, with better MMSE, CFT, and IADL outcomes than placebo, but no significant benefit for basic ADL. MMSE and CFT showed significant time-by-group effects (both P < 0.0001); post hoc MMSE differences versus placebo were 4.86 for B. longum and 4.06 for L. rhamnosus, and CFT favored both active arms versus placebo (P < 0.0001). IADL also improved versus placebo for L. rhamnosus (difference 1.05, 95% CI 0.49-1.61; P < 0.0001) and B. longum (difference 1.50, 95% CI 0.93-2.06; P < 0.0001), while ADL was not significant (P = 0.24).…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in Iran.

Intervention

Two oral probiotic regimens were tested for 12 weeks: Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-114 or Bifidobacterium longum R0175.

Key limitation

Per-active-arm sample size was modest (n = 30 each), and follow-up was short at 12 weeks.

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Original abstract