GEANELLA VERA-AVELLAN

2/10/19

The Effects of Prebiotics on Brain Health

The essential role of the gut microbiota

has been defined as being an influencer of
the immune system by metabolizing
foreign substances and synthesizing
bioactive molecules and vitamins to keep
us healthy (Desmedt et al, 81). Emerging
studies have focused on the bidirectional
communication between the brain and the
gut, also known as, the gut-brain axis to
investigate some neurobiological
processes underlying emotional,
cognitive and behavioral functions
that may be regulated by the gut
microbiota (Desmedt et al, 81).

How can the connection between the gut and brain

What is the role of prebiotics when it
happen?
comes to brain functioning?
The gut plays a crucial role in different neurological
Prebiotics are often defined as a “non-
processes, such as the production of neuroactive
digestible food that can beneficially affect a
compounds that affect mood and behavior like
person by stimulating the growth and/or
dopamine and noradrenaline. It also manages the
activity of bacteria in the colon, thus
production of short-chain fatty acids, which have
improving one’s health”.
some neuroactive properties. It does so by transforming
Based on this definition, it has been information via the vagus nerve. Besides being an
observed that food, especially prebiotics, important player in the functioning of the brain, any
can affect the gut microbiota composition, change to the microbiota has been attributed to a
while also positively regulating the number of neuropsychiatric disorders; further
microbiota to enhance health-promoting reiterating the support of the microbiota in the central
bacteria like bifidobacteria and lactobacilli nervous system (CNS) (Desmedt et al, 82).
(Desmedt et al, 82).

Most studied prebiotics:

Prebiotics could beneficially impact the
brain by: o Inulin type fructans (ITFs)  leeks, asparagus
o Fructoogligosaccharides (FOSs)  bananas, onions
 Increasing gut barrier o Galactooligosaccharides (GOSs)  legumes
function o Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOSs)  milk, honey
(Desmedt et al, 82)
 Immunity
 Production of SCFAs
 Reducing potentially o FOS and GOS can modulate various neurotransmitters and
pathogenic microbes neural growth factors (i.e.: brain derived neurotrophic
(Desmedt et al, 82) factor [BDNF]) through the influence of microbiota on the
vagus nerve.
Citation: o BDNF has been shown to have anxiolytic effects. This protein is
Olivier Desmedt, Valerie J V Broers, Giorgia Zamariola, Barbara Pachikian, found in regions of the brain that control eating, drinking, and
Nathalie Delzenne, Olivier Luminet; Effects of prebiotics on affect and body weight.
cognition in human intervention studies, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 77, Issue
2, 1 february 2019, Page 81-95, https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrt/nuy052