What happens in the gut could affect the brain: study

The digestive system and the brain "are more connected than previously thought," to the point that those who suffer from persistent intestinal disorders are up to twice as likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, confirms a study led by Sara Bandrés-Ciga.

The researcher, director of the neurogenetics department at the Center for Alzheimer's and Other Dementias Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), co-led this macro-study that draws on three large databases: the UK BioBank and the biobanks of Scotland (SAIL Biobank) and Finland (FinnGen), EFE reports.

Their revolutionary findings are published in the scientific journal Science Advances, and were contributed to by scientist Armando Reyes of the Spanish University of Malaga.

“The digestive system has its own 'second brain,' the enteric nervous system, which can influence the health of your main brain,” explained Sara Bandres-Ciga.

Based on this knowledge, the Spanish scientist and her team took advantage of the health databases available in the aforementioned biobanks since 2000 to explore the relationship between digestive disorders and neurodegeneration.

Researchers considered some of the 155 metabolic, digestive, nutritional, and endocrine diagnoses that impact the gut-brain axis, including gastroenteritis, colitis, and functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, and abdominal pain and bloating.

The study will contribute to the early identification of predictors of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

They have also incorporated genetic and proteomic analysis into their characterizations, specifically genetic data from more than 487,000 people, and proteomic data from more than 52,000 people.

Her analysis has revealed that "the digestive system and the brain are more connected than previously thought, and that the health of the gut-brain axis directly influences the risk of neurodegeneration," the researcher emphasized.

"Our data show that people with persistent intestinal disorders may be up to twice as likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, after the onset of gut-brain axis pathologies," he noted.

These correlations have been quantified and replicated at different time intervals, i.e., development of neurodegeneration at 5, 10 or 15 years.

PreventionIn short

“Taking care of your gut can be an important preventative strategy,” study reveals.

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It is estimated that more than 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, with between 31 and 38 million suffering specifically from Alzheimer's disease and between 8.5 and 12 million from Parkinson's disease.