INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND MENTAL WELL-BEING IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

The gut-brain axis is a key to cognitive performance and mental health, and the increasing number of studies points to the possibility of probiotic supplementation to improve neurological performance. This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that examined the impacts of a 6-week probiotic intervention on cognitive ability between undergraduate students. They randomly divided 30 subjects into probiotic (treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium longum, 10 billion CFU/day) and control group. The pre- and post-intervention cognitive performance was measured with the help of Digit Span Test (working memory) and Stroop Test (executive function). Findings indicated that the probiotic group had major improvements in terms of higher scores in Digit Span (forward: p < 0.01, d = 0.85; backward: p < 0.01, d = 0.92) and lower Stroop response time (p < 0.01, d = 0.78). There were no serious side effects, and the adherence was 92. These results indicate that young adults with cognitive benefits of probiotics might be due to microbiota regulation of the gut and neurotransmitter. The fact that there was no placebo group and very small sample size is, however, an opportunity to conduct research that will help confirm the findings in larger, more long-term research.