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Prebiotic supplementation does not affect reading and cognitive performance in children: A randomised

Liliana P Capitão1,2, Rita Baião1, Hee K Baek1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
|July 26, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study investigated if prebiotic supplements improve reading skills in children. Results showed no significant effect of the prebiotic on reading, cognition, or other measured outcomes in children with low reading scores.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Emerging research links gut microbiota to cognitive functions.
  • Understanding the gut-brain axis in children is crucial for development.
  • Prebiotics as a potential modulator of gut microbiota and cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the impact of a 3-month prebiotic supplement on reading scores in children aged 7-9 with low reading abilities.
  • To explore secondary effects of prebiotics on cognition, sleep, behavior, mood, anxiety, and cortisol levels.

Main Methods:

  • Proof-of-concept study design.
  • Inclusion of children aged 7-9 with low reading scores.
  • Comparison between a prebiotic supplement group and a placebo group over 3 months.

Main Results:

  • The prebiotic supplement did not significantly improve reading scores in the studied children.
  • No significant effects were observed for secondary outcomes including cognition, sleep, behavior, mood, anxiety, or cortisol levels.

Conclusions:

  • In this specific sample, a 3-month prebiotic intervention did not demonstrate efficacy for improving reading skills or related cognitive and behavioral measures in children.
  • Further research may be needed to explore different prebiotic formulations, dosages, or populations.

Keywords:
Galacto-oligosaccharidesactigraphybehaviourcognitioncortisolsleep

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