We’ve touted the benefits of upping your fiber intake for several years. While your immediate thoughts about fiber may veer toward the relief of constipation, in fact, that’s only one of many benefits that fiber in your diet brings about. Dietary fiber is associated with a host of health benefits, including weight control, lowering your risk for diabetes, reducing your cholesterol level and even lowering your risk for certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Now, an important new study finds that the use of a fiber prebiotic may also have profoundly positive effects on your memory and cognition.

Researchers from King’s College London just published their findings in Nature Communications. The study examined the impact of administering daily fiber prebiotics (containing inulin and FOS) in 36 sets of healthy twins over age 65. One twin received the prebiotics and one twin received a placebo, but the study was blinded so neither knew which they were taking. Aware that the gut microbiome loses its resilience as we get older, making us more vulnerable to disease, the researchers hoped that the daily administration of a prebiotic to improve the gut microbiome might also improve muscle function and cognition in these older participants. It is known that a healthy gut can prevent bacteria and other toxins from entering your bloodstream and causing systemic inflammation. Researchers hoped that the use of a simple and inexpensive prebiotic could therefore help improve muscle function and cognitive functioning in older adults due to reduced inflammation.

The results of the study, while showing no benefit to muscle health in those ingesting the prebiotic, produced important results concerning cognition. After taking the daily prebiotics for 3 months, significant changes were found in the production of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome of those taking the prebiotics. Moreover, those taking the prebiotics had half as many errors on a cognitive and memory test often used to predict early Alzheimer’s compared to those taking the placebo. In essence, as the lead researcher wondered, “In just 12 weeks, a daily fiber supplement improved brain function in twins over the age of 65. Could the microbes in your gut hold the key to preventing cognitive decline in our aging population?” While more research needs to happen to see if these results can be sustained over a longer period with a larger patient population, this study produced impressive results and further bolstered the hope that we can unlock the connection between the gut and the brain to produce beneficial health outcomes for all of us as we age. To read more about this study, click here. And while you shouldn’t use these results to automatically start taking a fiber prebiotic, you may want to get a head start on understanding the options out there. To find out more about foods containing these prebiotics, click here, and for some expert recommendations on currently available prebiotic supplements for older adults, grab a glass of water and click here.