Research Paper: Shanghai Aging Study and Shanghai Memory Study

Altered Gut Microbiota and Its Clinical Relevance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: Shanghai Aging Study and Shanghai Memory Study

Authors: Zheng Zhu, Xiaoxi Ma, Jie Wu, Zhenxu Xiao, Wanqing Wu, Saineng Ding, Li Zheng, Xiaoniu Liang, Jianfeng Luo, Ding Ding, Qianhua Zhao

Full Research Paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36235612/ 

Research Paper Summary: 

The research paper “Altered Gut Microbiota and Its Clinical Relevance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: Shanghai Aging Study and Shanghai Memory Study” investigates the relationship between gut microbiota and cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study analyzed fecal samples from 128 participants, including healthy individuals, those with MCI, and those with AD, and found that the gut microbiota composition of individuals with cognitive impairment was significantly different from that of healthy individuals. Specifically, the study found that individuals with cognitive impairment had lower levels of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, and higher levels of harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia coli.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9570603/figure/nutrients-14-03959-f001/
The overall structure of the gut microbiota based on the analysis of microbial diversity among NC, MCI, and AD. (A) Venn diagram showing the overlap of the OTUs found in the gut microbiota among NC, MCI, and AD. (B) The gut microbial compositions at the phylum levels among NC, MCI, and AD. NC, cognitively normal controls; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; OTUs, operational taxonomic units.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9570603/figure/nutrients-14-03959-f002/
Beta diversity analysis in NC, MCI, and AD. (AC) The beta diversity of NC, MCI, and AD by bray–Curtis (A), unweighted unifrac (B), and weighted unifrac (C) analyses. (D) Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of the gut microbial in NC, MCI, and AD. (E) Principal component analysis (PCA) among the three groups. (F) Principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA) among the three groups. NC, cognitively normal controls; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; Nmds, non-metric multidimensional scaling; PCA, principal component analysis; PCoA, principal co-ordinates analysis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9570603/figure/nutrients-14-03959-f003/
Bacterial taxa with different abundances among NC, MCI, and AD. (A) The differences of the LDA scores, histogram for bacterial genera between NC and MCI. (B) The differences of the LDA scores, histogram for bacterial genera between NC and AD. (C) The differences of the LDA scores, histogram for bacterial genera between MCI and AD. (D) Venn diagram of the genera showing the differences among the three groups. NC, cognitively normal controls; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; LDA, linear discriminant analysis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9570603/figure/nutrients-14-03959-f004/
Correlations between the five specific taxa and clinical characteristics. The correlation coefficients (Corr) are displayed. Red or blue signified positive or negative correlation, respectively. MMSE, Mini-mental State Examination; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment; ADL, Activities of Daily Living; CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; The composite Z scores were computed for specific cognitive domains including memory, attention, visuospatial ability, language, and executive function. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9570603/figure/nutrients-14-03959-f005/
The abundance of the five specific taxa among different clinical subgroups. (A) Comparison of the abundance of five taxa Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichales, Saccharimonadales, Patescibacteria, and Saccharimonadia in NC, MCI, and AD. (B) Comparison of the abundance of five taxa Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichales, Saccharimonadales, Patescibacteria, and Saccharimonadia in CDR 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 subgroups; (C) Comparison of the abundance of five taxa Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichales, Saccharimonadales, Patescibacteria, and Saccharimonadia in APOE 4 positive (APOE+) or negative (APOE−) subgroups. NC, cognitively normal controls; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; APOE, apolipoprotein E; OTUs, operational taxonomic units. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001.

The study also found a correlation between gut microbiota composition and cognitive performance, with individuals with MCI and AD showing poorer cognitive performance and lower levels of beneficial bacteria. These findings suggest that the gut microbiota may play a role in the development and progression of cognitive impairment, and that maintaining a healthy gut microbiota may have clinical implications for preventing or treating cognitive decline.

Overall, the study highlights the potential importance of the gut-brain axis in cognitive health, and suggests that future research should explore the mechanisms underlying this relationship and the potential for interventions to improve gut microbiota composition in individuals with cognitive impairment.

Cognitive Health Coach

Top Ten Coaches for Cognitive Health

Cognitive health is a joint function of man’s ability to move, feel, think, process information, and respond to stimuli. Naturally, we all want to live our best lives. Hence, we need the guidance of coaches who are well-trained in this area.

Coaches for cognitive health can empower you in achieving your personal, nutritional, and emotional goals. They can help improve your attention, decision-making, and judgment skills even. These professionals could also push you to perform at your absolute peak, regardless of the arena that you are a part of.

Whether you’re a working professional, student, homemaker, or athlete, you can benefit from having a cognitive health coach.

Best high performance and wellness coaches

There are many well-known coaches all over the world. In this article, Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute curated the top ten coaches for cognitive health.

1. Elliot Roe

Image source: Pokermindcoach

Elliot Roe, @elliotroe, is a mindset coach who has helps CEOs and start-up founders go above their financial goals. 

Roe is well-versed in high-stress environments where he attracts active individuals in sports, corporate, and the poker industry.

Besides helping keep his clients “stay sharp,” he makes sure they remain socially involved to live their lives fully. Elliot taps into their higher-order functions, such as goal-setting and judgment, to keep their brain and body healthy.

2. Dr Michael DiMarco


Image Souce: Dr. Michael DiMarco’s Facebook

Dr DiMarco’s (@drdimarco) goal is to equip leaders with the techniques, knowledge, and tools based on brain science, quantum physics, ancient wisdom, etc.

As a result, Dr. DiMarco helps transform the lives of his clients inside and out.

As a world-class coach, Dr. DiMarco trains his patients to gain confidence, increase their focus, reach clarity, and, consequently, achieve a healthy mindset leading to success in all kinds of endeavors.


3. Erin Treloar

Image source: Medium.com

Erin Treloar’s (@RawBeautyTalks) mission is to help women have a healthy relationship with food and their body. She’s a mother of two who has struggled in dieting at an early age. For this reason, she acquired knowledge in wellness over time with a health coaching certification, no less, to inspire others.

She is the founder of Raw Beauty Co., where she designed a coaching program centered on body image and mental health. She helps people from different walks of life to learn healthy eating habits and especially adopt intuitive eating.


4. Felicia Soria

Image Source: Felicia Soria’s Facebook

Felicia Soria is an online wellness coach who specializes in training women. She believes that life has its way of guiding people on their path; at least, she saw that it works, and this is one of the reasons she has been passionate about helping others achieve their wellness goals. 

Soria’s experiences in fad diets allowed her to collect what she terms “Mary Poppins bag of wisdom,” a tool she uses further to empower women in growing their mindset.


More cognitive health coaches

5. George Mumford

Image source: FindingLightEverywhere

George Mumford is a leading expert in sport psychology and performance who helped the late Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, understand the art of mindfulness. 

Mumford offers tools in the Mindful Athlete Course so that his clients can adapt and thrive against diversity, trauma, and stress. Furthermore, he believes in accessing a quiet place, a point of calm so that everyone makes better life decisions.


6. Trevor Moawad


Image Source: Worth.com

Trevor Moawad is a renowned mental conditioning coach who has been a strategic advisor to elite performances across the globe. He established the Limitless Mind with Rusell Wilson to optimize the performance of the world’s elite personalities. So it’s no surprise that Sports Illustrated named him the “Sports Word’s Best Brain Trainer” in 2017.

Moawad’s book, It Takes What It Takes, reveals how we can deal with the most challenging times of our lives – and especially thrive beyond these difficult seasons. In addition, he shared how top performers sharpen their competitive edge by managing their failure. 


7. Meghan Hedley

Image Source: Art Elements Gallery

At 15 years old, Meghan discovered art therapy. This opportunity later opened the door for her interest in the field of healing and wellness coaching. Before building her own coaching business, she spent 14 years researching mind-body health and creative healing approaches of sorts.

Now, she’s a multi-talented and professional visual artist and entrepreneur leading a holistic transformational coaching organization called Red Earth Wellness. She believes that creativity helps align a person’s mind, body, and spirit which, in turn, achieves optimal health.


8. Lachie Stuart

Image Source: FunctionWell.com

As the founder of The Man That Can Project, @lachlanstuart helps empower men to gain confidence and live with happiness and freedom. This global movement centers on cultural conditioning to “break” men and awaken them to be who they are.

Based on real-life experiences, Lachie’s programs cover mental and emotional health, finances, career, lifestyle, and spiritual growth. He believes that transformational experience can make honest men out in the world.


9. Alexandra Whitesell

Image Source: Sweatnet.com

Alexandra Whitesell finds joy in adding wellness to our mundane routines, and she helps professionals do the same. 

As a wellness coach, what sets Alexandra apart from the rest is that she doesn’t impose any stringent rules because she could relate to how rules, cycles, and diets work.

Whitesell approaches wellness in a rational, authentic, humble, and realistic way. Her method allows her clients to improve their well-being. Precision Nutrition certified her as one of the world’s top nutrition coaches, and she continues to help coaches build sustainable routines and habits that yield results. 


10. Judy Butler

Image Source: The Nutrition Junkie

The nutrition junkie herself, Judy, does not just treat symptoms but helps her patients find out the root cause of their inflammatory illness. She is a health coach with over four years of clinical experience providing treatment plans specific to her client’s health makeup.

She strongly believes in a restorative approach; thus, she focuses on metabolic functions, not just your typical healing gut treatments. Judy helps people understand that nutrition plans can vary from person to person backed by changes in lifestyle and scientific evidence.


What is mental performance coaching?

A mental performance coach plays a vital role in athletes’ success in sports and many other performers and talents in the world.

The physical demand of performing could take a toll on the different aspects of a person’s well-being. With mental performance coaching, you can get the medical support you need to balance your training, preparation, and personal life.

Cognitive health coaches help train your mind

A man’s wealth is health. 

We need a healthy brain to think, learn new things, remember, and function well. These top ten coaches for cognitive health are proof that anybody can enjoy optimal health and performance.

With the proper guidance from wellness coaches, you don’t need to be stuck with restrictive diets and unrealistic training.

Start creating personal sustainable goals focusing on improving your metabolism and relationship with food.

As B.K.S. Iyengar once said:

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”



Take care of your mind and let it manifest in your everyday life!

Do you agree with our list of top ten cognitive health coaches or do you have someone else in mind?

References:
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2020/11/01/2118091/0/en/The-Top-10-Performance-Coaches-To-Be-Following.html
https://thriveworks.com/blog/famous-pro-athletes-who-use-mental-health-coaches/
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/04/20/2213265/0/en/The-10-Wellness-Coaches-to-Watch-in-2021.html Watch-in-2021.html