Antibiotic Use and Subsequent Cognitive Decline and Dementia Risk in Healthy Older Adults.

Yiqing Wang, Zhen Zhou, Jonathan C Broder, Robyn L Woods, Suzanne Gaye Orchard, Rory Wolfe, Erika J Ernst, Joanne Ryan, Michael E Ernst, Andrew T Chan

From the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit (Y.W., A.T.C.), and Division of Gastroenterology (Y.W., A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Z.Z., J.C.B., R.L.W., S.G.O., R.W., J.R.), Monash University, Melbourne; Menzies Institute for Medical Research (Z.Z.), University of Tasmania, Australia; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (E.J.E.. M.E.E.), College of Pharmacy, and Department of Family Medicine (M.E.E.), Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City; Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (A.T.C.), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; and Cancer Center (A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.From the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit (Y.W., A.T.C.), and Division of Gastroenterology (Y.W., A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Z.Z., J.C.B., R.L.W., S.G.O., R.W., J.R.), Monash University, Melbourne; Menzies Institute for Medical Research (Z.Z.), University of Tasmania, Australia; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (E.J.E.. M.E.E.), College of Pharmacy, and Department of Family Medicine (M.E.E.), Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City; Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (A.T.C.), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; and Cancer Center (A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Antibiotics rapidly reduce intestinal bacterial diversity, leading to dysbiosis that persists for months to years. Although emerging evidence from retrospective and claims-based studies has linked dysbiosis to cognitive function, prospective data are lacking. We aim to examine the prospective association of antibiotics with cognitive aging among initially healthy older adults.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper investigates the association between antibiotic use and cognitive decline in older adults, which touches on the broader implications of gut health and its potential influence on aging and cognitive function. However, it primarily focuses on a specific aspect of aging rather than addressing root causes or mechanisms of aging itself. The findings may contribute to understanding cognitive aging but do not represent a significant advancement in longevity research.

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