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Yes, Gut Inflammation & Cognition Are Connected, What A New Study Shows
Gut health impacts so much more than digestion. It plays an important role in immune health, systemic inflammation, and even mental health, thanks to the gut-brain axis.
The gut and the brain are in constant communication, and communication is a two-way street. So if your nervous system is dysregulated, it can impact how food moves through the digestive tract. And if there are issues in the gut, it can impact mood, concentration, and even memory.
Researchers are still uncovering the intricacies of this relationship, and findings from a recent study are adding more clarity to the link between gut health, inflammation, and cognitive function.
Here’s what you need to know.
About the study
Researchers analyzed data from 217 people who were 60 years or older. They checked three key things:
- Cognition and memory (using a validated questionnaire)
- How healthy and inflammatory their diets were (via commonly used diet grading scales)
- And the presence of inflammatory markers in their blood (like IL-6) and stool
Overall, they wanted to see if people with worse brain health also had poorer diets, more inflammation, and signs of a weaker, “leakier” gut barrier.
This was a cross-sectional study, so researchers collected all of this data at once. While findings can show connections between diet, gut health, and cognitive function, it doesn’t prove that one causes the other.
Poor cognition was linked to higher inflammatory markers
Results showed that 1 in 3 folks in this study showed signs of cognitive impairment and that they had higher levels of inflammatory markers.
Their stool samples also showed more calprotectin (a marker of gut inflammation), and plasma samples had lower levels of ZO-1. This suggests a leakier gut.
Interestingly, people with worse cognitive scores didn’t necessarily have poorer overall diets. While diet does play a role in inflammation, it’s only part of the picture. Medications, stress, poor sleep, gut microbiome imbalances, and other health conditions also increase inflammation and alter gut health.
Larger studies consistently show that eating a higher-quality diet1 helps lower inflammation over time. However, as this was a snapshot, it likely didn’t capture the full influence of diet on these markers.
The one dietary connection this study revealed was that people who had better cognitive scores ate more dairy.
Reducing gut inflammation
So what can you do? Even though this study didn’t find huge differences in overall diet scores, how you eat still matters. Here are the top ways to improve gut health and calm inflammation.
- Eat more prebiotic fibers: Prebiotics are a specific type of fiber that feed the good bacteria in your gut. Foods that are particularly high in prebiotic fibers include chicory root, chia seeds, garlic, oats, berries, and Jerusalem artichokes.
- Prioritize fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods can add live, beneficial bacteria to your gut microbiome.
- Consider a probiotic: For some people, a high-quality probiotic supplement supports a healthy gut microbiome (and even alleviates bloating). But the dose and the strain of the probiotic matter a lot. Many probiotics are filled with empty promises, and we searched far and wide to find the best choices out there. Here’s our expert-vetted list of the best probiotics.
- Limit ultra-processed foods: Highly processed snacks, added sugars that can fuel inflammation2. Swap them for more whole, minimally processed foods when you can.
- Stay hydrated: Water supports a healthy gut lining and smooth digestion.
The takeaway
Many times, inflammation stems from the gut and can have rippling effects throughout the body and on the brain. And what you eat is one of the most influential levers you can pull to calm inflammatory processes.
Looking for a more structured plan to get started? An RD shares her top 4 tips for making every meal anti-inflammatory.
