Frontiers in nutrition
Can live microbial interventions support healthy aging? A systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive and muscle outcomes in aging adults
By Silva-Olivares F, Vidal N, Acevedo-Hernández P and 4 others.
Loading your page…
Loading your page…
Frontiers in nutrition
By Silva-Olivares F, Vidal N, Acevedo-Hernández P and 4 others.
Ward brings these articles into the same app as your cards and questions. One free account for Ward, Suture, Osler and Prognia.
Preserving cognitive and physical function is central to healthy aging, and the gut microbiota may influence both brain and muscle physiology. We evaluated whether live microorganism-based interventions affect cognitive and muscle-related outcomes in aging adults.
We systematically reviewed randomized placebo-controlled trials of probiotics, synbiotics, or fecal microbiota transplantation in populations with a mean age of at least 60 years. MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Random-effects meta-analyses used Hedges' g when at least three studies or independent comparisons reported sufficiently comparable outcomes. The protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251065993; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251065993).
Twenty-four trials involving 1,809 participants were included qualitatively: 20 evaluated cognitive outcomes and four evaluated muscle-related outcomes. Eleven unique studies contributed to at least one meta-analysis. For Mini-Mental State Examination scores, the overall pooled estimate was positive (g = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.36-1.68; I 2 = 90.84%). In exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses, the estimate was positive in Alzheimer's disease (g = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.14-1.79) but not statistically significant in broader cognitive impairment (g = 0.49; 95% CI: -0.78 to 1.77); the subgroup difference was not significant (p = 0.15). Excluding both Akhgarjand et al. intervention arms yielded a positive estimate in Alzheimer's disease (g = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.21-2.06), although only two studies remained. The pooled Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status result was not statistically significant (g = 0.46; 95% CI: -0.50 to 1.41). Handgrip strength showed a modest positive estimate (g = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.06-0.85), but exclusion of Qaisar et al. attenuated it to non-significance (g = 0.23; 95% CI: -0.27 to 0.73).
Live microorganism-based interventions showed preliminary short-term functional signals, but the small evidence base, high cognitive heterogeneity, short follow-up, and sensitivity to individual studies preclude firm efficacy conclusions. Subgroup and two-study sensitivity findings are exploratory. No eligible fecal microbiota transplantation trial was identified, so the evidence derives exclusively from probiotic and synbiotic studies. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251065993, unique identifier: CRD420251065993.
Published in Frontiers in nutrition. The abstract is shown as published and remains the work of its authors; read the full article at the source.
Prognia lists this article for reference and education. It is not medical advice. Always read the original and follow current guidelines and local protocols before acting on it.
