Taking Probiotics Can Help Protect Your Brain

What if the key to protecting your brain from the devastating effects of a stroke wasn't just about the blood vessels or brain cells, but something far more unexpected — your gut? Emerging research suggests that the bacteria residing in your digestive tract might hold the key to determining how severe your stroke could be and how quickly you can recover. It’s a fascinating revelation that challenges everything we thought we knew about brain health. This groundbreaking discovery might just change how we view stroke prevention and treatment.

Key Takeaways

• Gut Health Influences Stroke Recovery: Studies reveal that the bacteria in your gut can significantly impact the severity of a stroke and the recovery process by influencing immune cells that protect the brain.

• Microbiota Alters Immune Response: The interaction between gut bacteria and immune cells can orchestrate a protective immune response outside the brain, helping to prevent long-term damage after an ischemic stroke.

• Diet Can Impact Stroke Risk: Fermented foods and probiotic-rich diets may support gut health and lower stroke risk, offering a natural way to bolster your brain's defense system.

New Discovery: Gut Bacteria Support Brain Health

Everyday, more than 2,000 Americans suffer strokes – what some medical folks call a brain attack.

During an ischemic stroke – the most common kind — the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. This destroys brain cells because it deprives them of oxygen.

So at a glance, a stroke seems like a mechanical problem – restore the blood flow and you resolve the difficulty. The truth is something different. What happens in the body after a stroke is fairly complicated. Research indicates that the situation in other parts of the body can make a huge difference in the consequences of a stroke.

A study now indicates that the bacteria living in your colon can make the difference between suffering a devastating stroke and one that is less severe and easier to recover from.

Lab tests at Weill Cornell Medical College show that the probiotic microbes that line your digestive tract influence how the immune system reacts to a stroke. The interactions in your intestines between bacteria and immune cells can help ease the after-effects of having blood flow cut off to the brain’s neurons.

Gut Bacteria Modify Immune Cell Behavior

The Cornell researchers, in experiments on lab animals, found that they could alter ischemic stroke damage by altering the population of intestinal bacteria. In strokes of this kind, a clot in a blood vessel blocks the brain’s blood supply.

The scientists demonstrated that the severity of the stroke could be eased by as much as 60 percent by changing the bacteria in the gut. In some way, certain types of bacteria in the digestive tract can instruct the immune cells to guard the brain’s neurons more effectively after the stroke and construct defenses against the most serious ramifications of the stroke.

“Our experiment shows a new relationship between the brain and the intestine,” says researcher Josef Anrather, who teaches neuroscience at Cornell. “The intestinal microbiota shape stroke outcome, which will impact how the medical community views stroke and defines stroke risk.”

The study showed that while the intestinal bacteria did not directly intervene with the brain’s neurons, the immune cells with which they interacted traveled to the outer lining of the brain – an area called the meninges – and, once there, those cells coordinated and arranged the immune response to the after-effects of the stroke.

“One of the most surprising findings was that the immune system made strokes smaller by orchestrating the response from outside the brain, like a conductor who doesn’t play an instrument himself but instructs the others, which ultimately creates music,” notes researcher Costantino Iadecola, director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Promote Gut Health to Avoid a Stroke

According to the researchers, their study demonstrates that the foods you eat are crucial for lowering your stroke risks.

To improve the probiotic bacteria in your digestive tract and potentially help defend your brain:

• Eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, and pickled vegetables that are rich in beneficial, probiotic bacteria.
• Eat fruits and vegetables whose fiber feeds your probiotic bacteria.
• Take probiotic supplements.
• Only take antibiotics when necessary – they kill your gut bacteria. If you take antibiotics, take probiotic supplements in between antibiotic doses to replenish your gut bacteria. Don’t take the probiotics at the same time as your medication.

Summary

A groundbreaking study from Weill Cornell Medical College reveals that the bacteria in your gut could significantly influence the severity of a stroke and your ability to recover. By modifying the population of gut bacteria, researchers found that stroke damage could be reduced by as much as 60%. The key lies in how gut bacteria influence immune cells to protect the brain's neurons after a stroke. This discovery opens up new possibilities for stroke prevention, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy gut through diet, probiotics, and careful antibiotic use.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do gut bacteria affect stroke severity?

Gut bacteria interact with immune cells to influence how the body responds to stroke, potentially reducing damage to the brain.

Can diet really affect my risk of having a stroke?

Yes, eating foods that promote healthy gut bacteria, like fermented foods, fruits, and vegetables, can help lower stroke risk.

What types of foods are best for gut health?

Foods rich in probiotics, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt, as well as fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, support a healthy gut.

Should I take probiotics if I’m at risk of stroke?

Probiotics may help promote gut health, but it's important to consult with a doctor for personalized recommendations.

Can antibiotics harm my gut bacteria and increase stroke risk?

Yes, antibiotics can disrupt gut bacteria, potentially increasing health risks. It's recommended to take probiotics after using antibiotics to help restore gut health.