The Connection Between Gut Health and Alzheimer’s Disease

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: your gut is the gateway to optimal health. Not only does it impact your immune system, but gut health can also impact your cognitive health. More and more data is emerging on the connection between gut health and age related diseases. These include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and others. Gut health and Alzheimer’s is a particularly interesting topic that has recently gained more attention. Having an unbalanced microbiome can impact your likelihood of contracting these diseases.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative disease. It affects memory, information processing, and, eventually physical function. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 6.7 million Americans over the age of 65 live with Alzheimer’s. Moreover, two-thirds of those people are women! In this article, I will cover what we know about gut health and Alzheimer’s. By the end of this, you’ll understand the link between gut bacteria and Alzheimer’s, the importance of the gut brain axis, how to heal leaky gut and leaky brain.

Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Gut Microbiome

A healthy microbiome does far more than simply keeping your bowel movements regular. It also encourages a balanced mood and immune support. Did you know your gut creates up to 95% of serotonin? This happy hormone is vital to many functions in the body. It helps keep your nervous system balanced. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome also reduces inflammation. Additionally, it helps you fight off infections.

Every system in your body communicates with each other. This is only possible through the chemical messages sent through your nervous system. In fact, your brain and gut are always in communication, even right now! The conversation between your gut and your brain happens along your gut brain axis. Maintaining optimal communication between the two can help slow down or delay symptoms of cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Gut Brain Axis

As I mentioned, your brain and gut communicate through the gut brain axis. What is the gut brain axis? It’s a complex system made up of your nervous system, immune system, and your gut microbiome.

In order for this conversation to take place, you need two systems. One is your central nervous system (CNS) and the other is your enteric nervous system (ENS). Your central nervous system is your “brain to gut” communication. This system includes your brain and spinal cord. It controls your breathing, heart rate, and body temperature. It’s also responsible for releasing some of your hormones. Factors such as stress and anxiety can have a physiological impact on the gut. Ongoing factors such as these can disrupt gut function.

However, your ”gut to brain” communication goes through your enteric nervous system. When there is disruption in your gut microbiome, it can lead to toxins leaking through your gut wall. These toxins can disrupt healthy signaling in the body. In turn, this can lead to immune cell activation and chronic inflammation. Leaving this inflammation unchecked can lead to neurodegeneration of tissue, including the brain.

Currently, research suggests a correlation between Alzheimer’s and a buildup of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain tissue. Chronic, systemic inflammation in the body may also impair the blood brain barrier. Impairment can promote neuroinflammation, neural injury, and eventually neurodegeneration¹ The gut brain axis requires healthy communication throughout the entire nervous system. Maintaining a healthy gut is critical to keeping brain function healthy and optimal.

Gut Health and Alzheimer’s

Now that we’ve covered how the gut microbiome affects brain health, let’s dive deeper. I’d like to talk about the specific connection between gut health and Alzheimer’s disease. Remember, Alzheimer’s is a slowly progressing degenerative disease of the brain. It can take years to show up, and several contributing factors can play a role in how and when it might appear. How is gut bacteria and Alzheimer’s related? Let’s find out. 

Brain Inflammation

As I’ve said before, inflammation is a common denominator in most diseases today. The connection between brain and gut inflammation and Alzheimer’s is fascinating. When your brain is constantly inflamed, it can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease² Causes of brain inflammation can include injury, infection, or exposure to toxins. Poor diet and chronic stress also play a role.

Remember how I said that when the brain is inflamed, it can have a negative impact on the blood brain barrier (BBB)? This thick, semipermeable layer of cells protects your brain against harmful substances. However, when there is a blood brain barrier disruption, this wall becomes weak. Oftentimes this is due to inflammation. When this happens, you can develop something called “leaky brain”³ which allows toxins to come in and wreak havoc. If you are familiar with leaky gut syndrome, this might sound similar to you.

Neurofibrillary tangles are another contributor to Alzheimer’s disease. The BBB interacts with a neurovascular unit made up of glial cells, neurons, and pericytes. When the blood brain barrier is disrupted, this protective unit begins to malfunction. This can happen during injury or for other reasons. In effect, this contributes to a leaky brain and, consequently, Alzheimer’s disease.

Cholesterol Metabolism

Your gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating your metabolism. For example, different types of gut bacteria can influence which substances are produced and released into the bloodstream. This is true of the central nervous system as well. Changes in certain metabolic processes may link to Alzheimer’s disease. These changes include the metabolism and transport of cholesterol⁴

The research behind this is still ongoing. What we currently know is that cholesterol clearance is directly tied to both the liver and the gut microbiome. As the liver breaks cholesterol down into smaller molecules, it produces primary bile acids (BAs). These primary bile acids are then converted to secondary BAs in the gut. One study found that those with Alzheimer’s disease had fewer primary BAs in the blood. In addition to this, they also had much higher secondary BAs. Those with a higher number of secondary BAs also had cognitive decline⁵

As you can see, cholesterol metabolism, gut health, and Alzheimer’s disease tie together. Optimizing your gut health may help improve cholesterol metabolism. In turn, this may help reduce the risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease down the road.

Age-Related Changes in Microbiome

The gut inflammation Alzheimer’s connection also has to do with microbiome diversity. Your body is constantly changing. As you age, your skin, hormones, and microbiome changes as well. The variety of gut bacteria decreases over time. This can actually speed up aging. In fact, reduced microbial diversity in the small intestine has been linked to accelerated aging and the development of chronic disease⁶

Research suggests that certain types of gut bacteria may increase your likelihood of getting cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Of the 20 gut bacteria tested in a meta-analysis, three genera tested as a significant risk factor. These genera include Eubacterium fissicatena, Collinsella, and Veillonella species⁷ These bacteria can express inflammatory messenger hormones. Another study found that those with Alzheimer’s had certain levels of bacteria in the gut. Many had lower amounts of Firmicutes and Bifidobacterium species. In addition, they also had higher levels of the Bacteroidetes species⁸

All of these changes contribute to dysfunction in the gut and brain. Now that you understand how gut bacteria and Alzheimers relate, what can you do about it? The good news is that there are ways you can take better care of your gut so you can enjoy optimal cognitive health.

How Can You Take Better Care of Your Gut?

As I mentioned earlier, your gut is the gateway to your health. Taking care of your gut is key to enjoying optimal energy, mood, and more. How can you better care for your gut, thereby caring for your cognitive health?

First, choose a diet free from toxic and inflammatory foods. Gluten, dairy, and ultra-processed foods are among the top three things to avoid. In addition, stay away from alcohol, caffeine, and refined sugar. Doing an elimination diet can help wipe the slate clean and give you a fresh start. Aim for non-GMO, grass-fed meats. Wild-caught salmon is another great choice. Increasing your fiber intake encourages a healthy microbiome, as well as optimal digestion.

In addition to eating well, the right supplements can help heal your gut and protect the gut brain axis. Leaky Gut Revive is a powerful formula designed to soothe and strengthen the gut lining. This blend of botanicals and nutrients is easy to mix into your favorite beverage. It’s the perfect way to be proactive about your health!

Probiotics are another important step in maintaining healthy gut, immune, and brain health. Probiotic 30 Billion contains 14 beneficial bacteria to help restore a healthy microbiome. It’s ideal for daily maintenance. If you want to get the maximum benefits, Probiotics 100 Billion gives you exactly that! This is a great choice if you’re healing from gut infections or leaky gut.

Final Word on The Connection Between Gut Health And Alzheimer’s Disease

For good reason, gut health continues to take center stage. Gut health and Alzheimer’s disease have an interesting connection involving several body systems. Right now, we know three main areas link the two together. One is the gut inflammation Alzheimer’s connection. This stems from our current understanding of how the gut brain axis works. Gut inflammation leads to brain inflammation. We know this based on how the nervous system relates to blood brain barrier disruption. In turn, this leads to leaky brain, neuron injury, and cognitive decline.

The other two areas include age related changes and cholesterol metabolism. Altered gut bacteria and Alzheimer’s are strongly connected. For this and many other reasons, it’s important to maintain a healthy microbiome. Keeping a diverse variety of beneficial bacteria in the gut can help. You can achieve this with either my Probiotic 30 Billion or Probiotics 100 Billion. Additionally, Leaky Gut Revive is another powerful step in protecting your gut lining and brain from inflammation. By strengthening your gut health, you can also enjoy cognitive health no matter your age!