Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41859938›Full record

ReviewCurrent opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care2026

Nutrition and gut-brain axis: opposing effects of dietary fiber and Western-style diets on Alzheimer's disease.

Yuhai Zhao, Nicolas G Bazan

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Yuhai ZhaoNeuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Nicolas G Bazan

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purpose of reviewThis review summarizes how diet shapes the gut-brain axis and contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, emphasizing the contrasting effects of Western-style diets and dietary fiber. RECENT

findingsWestern diets rich in sugar and saturated fat disrupt gut microbial balance, increase intestinal permeability, and promote systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolic imbalance, all of which accelerate neurodegeneration. In contrast, dietary fiber supports microbial diversity, improves lipid and glucose metabolism, and reduces neuroinflammation through both short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-dependent and independent pathways involving bile acids, microbial lipids, and immune modulation. Recent animal and clinical data show that mixed-fiber supplementation can restore metabolic stability and cognitive function. In the 5xFAD mouse model (a transgenic AD model overexpressing five familial AD mutations), adding low-dose fiber to a high-sugar diet reshaped gut microbiota and improved AD-like pathology, identifying a reproducible set of fiber-sensitive bacterial taxa. SUMMARY: Dietary patterns exert opposing effects on gut-brain communication. Nutrient excess drives dysbiosis and neuroinflammation, while dietary fiber promotes metabolic balance and neuronal resilience. Understanding these context-dependent microbial and metabolic interactions may guide precision dietary strategies for AD prevention and therapy.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseBrainBrain-Gut AxisDietary FiberDiet, WesternGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalDysbiosisHumansDietary FiberAlzheimer's diseasedietary fibergut microbiotalipid metabolismWestern diet

Identifiers

PMID41859938
PMCPMC13258096

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.