(P30-060-24) The Effects of a Synbiotic Supplement on Age-related Biomarkers and Cognitive Function in Senior Adults: A Study Protocol

Objectives: The increase in life expectancy has caused people to live to an older age that can be accompanied with diseases and disabilities. Managing conditions like type 2 diabetes becomes crucial for elderly individuals, as cognitive abilities influence their quality of life and self-care behaviors. Cognitive deficits often lead to poor adherence to treatment plans, making it a significant health concern in old age. Improvement of gut microbiota may be related to cognitive function improvement. As synbiotic may change gut bacterial composition and brain function via the microbiota–gut–brain axis, this study will examine the effect of a synbiotic supplement in improving cognitive function aging-related biomarkers, cognitive function, and gut bacterial composition in senior adults.

Methods: This will be a 12-week randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial with approximately 40 elderly participants aged 65 years and older. Participants will randomly be assigned to two groups of intervention (one daily synbiotic supplement capsule) and control (one daily placebo capsule). The data collected will include serum BDNF, pro-BDNF, dopamine, serotonin, melatonin, Insulin-like growth factor 1, cortisol, cognitive function tests (Trail Making Test and Digit Span Task) scores, and gut bacterial composition. Differences between intervention and control groups will be analyzed.

Results: N/A

Conclusions: Upon completing this study, we expect to see an improvement in cognitive function, serum cognitive function aging-related biomarkers levels, and gut bacterial composition after the intervention. This outcome may reduce the disability caused by cognitive deficits and the health care costs. It might also improve senior adults’ quality of life because several diseases especially chronic diseases treatment depends on the patients and their cooperation, and therefore their cognitive function.

Funding Sources: This study was funded by College of Human Sciences Alzheimer’s Research Seed Grant Program from Texas Tech University.