Associations of Microbiota and Nutrition with Cognitive Impairment in Diseases

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Recent research highlights the growing interest in the impact of nutrition on cognitive health and function in disease, as dietary habits are increasingly recognized as crucial factors in relation to brain function. This focus is especially important given the rising prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases and the cognitive decline associated with poor dietary choices. Links are now being sought between brain function and the microbiota and gut-brain axis. Mechanisms are proposed that include low-grade chronic neuroinflammation, the influence of short-chain fatty acids, or the disruption of glial cells and transmitters in the brain.

METHODS

We reviewed the articles on pubmed. This is not a systematic review, but of the narrative type. We wanted to outline the issue and summarise the latest information.

RESULTS

The axis in question has its foundation in nutrition. It has been reported that diet, particularly the components and the timing of food intake, has an impact on cognitive processes. The Mediterranean diet is most often cited in the literature as being beneficial to health. In order to obtain a more complete view, it is worth considering other dietary patterns, even those that impair our health.

CONCLUSIONS

Determining what is beneficial and what is not will allow us to develop a speronized strategy for the prevention of, and fight against, cognitive impairment. Appropriately selected supplements, the functions of which we have also discussed, may prove supportive.