Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults

As the global population is aging, elderly individuals are increasingly facing significant health challenges, especially mental health issues such as emotional problems, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms that confer health benefits upon the host,...

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Main Author: BO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: China Food Publishing Company 2025-03-01
Series:Shipin Kexue
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Online Access:https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-6-041.pdf
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author BO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo
author_facet BO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo
author_sort BO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo
collection DOAJ
description As the global population is aging, elderly individuals are increasingly facing significant health challenges, especially mental health issues such as emotional problems, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms that confer health benefits upon the host, have emerged as an effective means to improve the mental health of the elderly. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota regulates brain development and behavior in older adults through the gut-brain axis. This article focuses on summarizing the characteristics of the nervous system in the elderly and its connection to the gut microbiota, the characteristics of the gut microbiota in older individuals, and the mechanisms underlying the regulation of the nervous system in the elderly by the gut-brain axis. It also discusses recent advancements in understanding the role of probiotics in improving mental health conditions of the elderly, such as mild cognitive impairment, insomnia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the clinical application of probiotics and the management of mental health in older adults.
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publisher China Food Publishing Company
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spelling doaj-art-c286ec2af0df4a66b25fc6e21aaaa8012025-08-20T02:27:06ZengChina Food Publishing CompanyShipin Kexue1002-66302025-03-0146639240110.7506/spkx1002-6630-20240930-238Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older AdultsBO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo0(1. Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; 2. Heilongjiang Green Food Science Research Institute, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150028, China)As the global population is aging, elderly individuals are increasingly facing significant health challenges, especially mental health issues such as emotional problems, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms that confer health benefits upon the host, have emerged as an effective means to improve the mental health of the elderly. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota regulates brain development and behavior in older adults through the gut-brain axis. This article focuses on summarizing the characteristics of the nervous system in the elderly and its connection to the gut microbiota, the characteristics of the gut microbiota in older individuals, and the mechanisms underlying the regulation of the nervous system in the elderly by the gut-brain axis. It also discusses recent advancements in understanding the role of probiotics in improving mental health conditions of the elderly, such as mild cognitive impairment, insomnia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the clinical application of probiotics and the management of mental health in older adults.https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-6-041.pdfgut-brain axis; older adults; mental disorders; probiotics; research progress
spellingShingle BO Zhihang, WANG Xinyu, YANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Guofang, DU Peng, LI Chun, LIU Libo
Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
Shipin Kexue
gut-brain axis; older adults; mental disorders; probiotics; research progress
title Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
title_full Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
title_fullStr Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
title_full_unstemmed Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
title_short Research Progress on Probiotics in Improving Mental Health of Older Adults
title_sort research progress on probiotics in improving mental health of older adults
topic gut-brain axis; older adults; mental disorders; probiotics; research progress
url https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-6-041.pdf
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