The rate in illnesses and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, involving the brain has unfortunately increased, and has become common in those of older ages. Tests including two prebiotics such as insulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) have aided significantly. It has been of great use in finding ways not to only prevent future illnesses, but also reverse the process of those who struggle with the early stages Dementia and Alzheimer’s.. 

Illnesses and diseases involving the brain commonly start from an imbalance in Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, both of which are major probiotic strains, as shown on Science Alert. Both are classified as beneficial bacteria that naturally live in the gut and are quite significant, even to the point that the human body will have varying consequences if the supply for these bacteria are low. Not only do these bacteria support the functions of the gut, but also in the brain. As stated in Medical Xpress, as it says, “It turns out these two entities are linked by the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication superhighway that constantly sends signals between the digestive tract and the central nervous system.” 

Research has shown that prebiotics can help stimulate our gut microbes, in other words it can stimulate both the Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia. To prove this theory, researchers from King’s College London used mice to study the relationship between insulin, FOS, and the beneficial bacteria. The mice were used due to how genetically, anatomical, and physiologically they are similar to humans. Findings suggested that the Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia were more “plentiful” in people who took the prebiotics insulin or FOS. After the discoveries were published, a geriatric medical researcher from the college stated, “We are excited to see these changes in just 12 weeks. This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our aging population,” according to Science Alert. 

Results after the 12 weeks of observing changes turned out to be a success. This is because the prebiotics were able to restore the mice’ cognitive function, even in mice that were experiencing decline in the cognitive function prior, as demonstrated by Schi Tech Daily. 

Ultimately, both prebiotics insulin and FOS can both prevent brain and gut diseases, and disrupt the process of the body adapting to these unfortunate disabilities.