A new study finds that the combination of poor gut health and limited access to nutritious food may put people at higher risk for cognitive problems later in life, including memory loss and diminished brain function.
Researchers from Mount Sinai and the University of Iowa examined the gut microbiome — the vast community of bacteria that live in the digestive tract — and found clear differences in people with and without cognitive impairment. They also discovered that food insecurity, not having enough healthy food to eat, was linked to both a less diverse microbiome and lower cognitive performance.
“These findings suggest that food insecurity is not just a socioeconomic issue — it may be a biological one too, influencing brain health via changes to the gut microbiome,” said senior author Dr. Vishal Midya of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The study, published in NPJ Aging, is the first of its kind to explore how gut microbes and food insecurity interact. It found that specific microbial patterns, known as “cliques,” were more strongly tied to cognitive impairment depending on whether or not a person had reliable access to nutritious food.
Researchers say these findings may help explain why people from underserved communities, who often face both limited food access and high stress levels, are at greater risk for dementia and other age-related cognitive issues.
“Understanding how gut health and social conditions interact gives us a fuller picture of what puts people at risk for cognitive decline,” said corresponding author Dr. Shoshannah Eggers of the University of Iowa.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.