We recently shared a back to basics guide for gut health. It turns out these microbiome-boosting tips maybe even more important than previously thought. New research from the University Hospitals of Geneva has found a significant correlation between reduced microbiome diversity and Alzheimer’s disease. 

To determine this connection between gut health and neurodegenerative disease, the researchers used PET imaging to analyze amyloid plaque buildup and inflammation markers in the blood of 89 patients, some with Alzheimer’s and some without. 

They found that certain bacterial products of the intestinal microbiota correlate with the number of amyloid plaques in the brain, meaning that an altered composition of gut bacteria was connected to the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. Although this connection is significant, the researchers are still unsure if gut bacteria composition leads to neurological degeneration or vice versa. More research must be done to make a determination of cause and effect. 

Nonetheless, this added symptom of neurodegeneration does help solve one difficult aspect of Alzheimer’s treatment: diagnosis. Having additional indicators of potential disease could help doctors make a diagnosis sooner for more effective treatment.