The Effects of Microbiological Spectrum Changes to Improve Cognitive Health in Aging Population

The goal of this project is to develop probiotic dietary supplements intended for the elderly, which can modify the composition of the intestinal microbiota typically occurring in the aging population. According to currently held scientific knowledge, it is postulated that the probiotics-induced normalization of the physiological axis in the brain-intestinal microbiota affects the activity of the nervous system. Thus, normalization of this axis should lead to observable improvements in cognitive functions and quality of life.

With an increasing age of the population, the incidence of age-related problems, such as memory deficits or negative changes in mood, is on the rise. On this account, an increased emphasis has been placed on identifying natural ways to reduce the occurrence of such problems. One of the proposed methods to achieve this is to modify the composition of gut bacteria and their by-products, which has shown a surprising, yet highly promising potential to benefit the brain function and blood composition.

In the recent years, gut bacteria have been of great interest to many medical professionals from various disciplines. It is postulated that they might exert some influence on memory and emotions, but there is a lack of evidence to confirm these hypotheses. Our study would like to address this issue and examine the beneficial effects of probiotics into more depth. Probiotics are dietary supplements in the form of bacteria, which are often artificially added e.g. into some dairy products. This is done to promote gut health and to improve the quality of gut microflora.

The subject selection and assessment are summarised as follows: Participants will be pre-selected electronically and given an electronic memory test. Further selection of eligible subjects based on their preliminary results will be followed by the first personal appointment, where each participant will undergo memory and mood-focused psychological testing and testing for gut bacteria composition. One week after the initial appointment, participants will be asked to bring in a stool and urine sample, their blood will be collected and their fitness and dietary habits assessed. Each participant will also be given an electronic watch, which will monitor their physical activity, and supplements in the pill form, which either contain specially cultivated human gut bacteria (i.e. probiotics) or placebo. Identical tests and blood, urine and stool collection will be repeated three months after administering the first pill. The participants will receive another set of pills, which will contain the probiotics if the participant has initially received placebo and vice versa. After three more months, participants will be subjected to the same tests as in the previous two instants. To test for lasting effects of treatment, participants will be tested again after 3 more months and the project will reach its termination.

Using the above-mentioned methods, the aim of this project is to provide sufficient evidence of the beneficial effects of the new probiotics on memory, mood and the biochemical components contained in the blood, stool and urine in elderly population.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* is 55-80 years of age
* His/her native language is Czech
* Is willing to visit the testing centre four times within half a year
* Is willing to provide blood, urine and stool samples three times within half a year
* Is willing to self-administer the probiotic/placebo pill once every day for half a year
* is self-sufficient (handling finances, travelling without a chaperone, administration of medication, correct phone usage, filling forms, meal preparation)
* Has good vision; Can read and write, glasses are acceptable
* Has good hearing to hear and understand all instructions during examination
* Can walk well (walking aids are acceptable) to attend all the examinations

Exclusion Criteria:

* Suffers with disorder(s) of digestive system, primarily gastrointestinal disorders (celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, frequent diarrhoea)
* Had severe neurological difficulties (epilepsy, stroke, severe head trauma, meningitis in the past 10 years, brain surgery, brain tumour, prolonged period(s) in an unconscious state - excluding general anaesthesia)
* Had been treated/Is currently being treated for the following psychiatric disorders: alcohol/medication/drug of abuse dependance, schizophrenia, psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder
* Is taking medication for depression or low mood
* Suffers from internal organ failure (heart, liver or kidney failure etc.)
* Suffered from an oncological problem (cancer) in the past 5 years
* Underwent radiotherapy or chemotherapy in the past
* Underwent a surgery/procedure under general anaesthesia in the past three years or has a planned procedure/surgery under general anaesthesia in the next 6 months over the course of this trial
* Suffered from hepatitis (hepatitis B, C), HIV or syphilis in the past
* Had taken any probiotics in the past three months