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Support research to evaluate the role of the microbiome on the impact of diet on AD risk/resilience.
2028 2.X In Progress DN 2021 AD Summit: 7.G and 7.H Highlight: Beyond the brain: The gut microbiome and Alzheimer’s disease Highlight: Changes in human microbiome precede Alzheimer’s cognitive declines Research on Disease Mechanisms 2024
- Initiate at least one research program aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which the microbiome influences the impact of diet on AD risk/resilience. The program should include the development of methods/technologies to directly assess dietary intake from a patient specimen based on microbiome or metabolome readout(s).
Summary of Key Accomplishments
NIA supports a growing number of research projects that study the influence of the microbiome on the impact of diet on AD risk and resilience. Of note is the Alzheimer’s Gut Microbiome Project (AGMP), a large, multi-disciplinary program with the goal to understand the role of the gut microbiome in AD pathogenesis and examine the molecular / biochemical axis of communication between gut and brain. The project evaluates the influence of controlled diets like the Modified Mediterranean-Ketogenic Diet (MMKD) and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet on cognition and AD. These studies indicate that person-to-person differences in the effect of diets on age-related cognitive decline are influenced by the composition of gut microbes and specific microbial metabolites. These findings reveal insights into novel biological pathways of AD and raise the possibility of personalized dietary interventions as new strategies for treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.
The key accomplishments summary is current as of September 2025.