ILSI Europe publishes guide for prebiotics research in cognitive health

Cognition encompasses mental processes such as attention, memory, understanding, and decision-making. They are all influenced by factors like genetics, environment, and nutrition. Emerging evidence suggests that prebiotics may impact cognition through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, potentially enhancing neurodevelopment, reducing neuroinflammation, and improving synaptic plasticity. However, human studies on this topic remain limited, with inconsistent findings due to small sample sizes, short study durations, and diverse methodologies. More research is needed to clarify the impact of prebiotics on cognition and uncover potential mechanisms, in both healthy and vulnerable populations. 

In October 2023, ILSI Europe’s Prebiotics Task Force convened an expert group of academics and industry leaders to evaluate the current evidence on prebiotics and cognitive function. This initiative aimed to identify knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for future research in this emerging field. 

The resulting perspective article, now published in Advances in Nutrition, reviews the existing evidence on prebiotics’ effects on cognition across the lifespan. It highlights methodological limitations in current studies and proposes a series of recommendations to guide future research. Specifically, the article emphasizes the need to focus on vulnerable populations who experience cognition-taxing factors such as stress, poor sleep, sedentary behaviour, and unhealthy diets. These factors may provide key insights into how prebiotics could enhance cognitive resilience in sub-optimal conditions, rather than aiming to improve already healthy cognitive functioning in general populations. 

Lead author and expert group chair Dr. Boushra Dalile from KU Leuven, Belgium commented: “With this perspective, we aim to encourage future research to diversify the methodologies used to answer the question “can prebiotics improve cognition?”. Targeting cognitive resilience is one such approach, which may help reveal prebiotic efficacy in this health domain. To this end, we hope to have provided a useful roadmap for conducting future research and randomized clinical trials.’’