AIIMS Study Finds Yoga May Aid Alzheimer’s Patients

NEW DELHI: A study by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has found that yoga may improve cognition, reduce depressive symptoms and partially restore healthy gut bacteria in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

The collaborative research by the Departments of Anatomy and Neurology, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in June, reported that a 12-week structured yoga programme was associated with improved cognitive performance and mood, along with favourable changes in the gut microbiome among patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is marked by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. The study notes growing evidence linking gut microbes to brain health through the gut-brain axis.

Dr Rima Dada, professor in the department of anatomy at AIIMS and corresponding author, said the study provides preliminary evidence that lifestyle interventions such as yoga may help create a healthier microbial environment in the gut. She said the enrichment of beneficial bacteria and reduction of pro-inflammatory microbes after yoga point towards biological mechanisms that could contribute to improved brain health.

Dr Manjari Tripathi, head of neurology at AIIMS Delhi, said : “While yoga cannot be considered a cure for Alzheimer's disease, our findings suggest that it may serve as a valuable adjunctive therapy in early Almheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. We observed improvements in cognition and mood, along with favourable changes in the gut microbiome, indicating a possible influence on the gut-brain axis.”

The study involved patients with clinically diagnosed mild Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively healthy individuals. Patients underwent supervised 60-minute yoga sessions daily for 12 weeks, with assessments of cognitive performance, depressive symptoms and gut microbial composition conducted before and after the intervention.

Findings showed that Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores improved significantly after the programme, while depression scores measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) declined.

Researchers also reported shifts in gut microbial composition, with an increase in beneficial bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids and a decline in potentially harmful, pro-inflammatory microbes. The gut microbial profiles of Alzheimer’s patients moved closer to those of healthy participants following the intervention.

The authors said the findings suggest yoga may influence the gut-brain axis by reducing stress and improving autonomic regulation, creating conditions favourable for beneficial microbes.

They, however, noted limitations including a small sample size and the absence of a control group, and called for larger randomised controlled trials with longer follow-up to establish causal links.

The study adds to evidence that yoga could serve as a low-cost, non-pharmacological adjunct to support cognitive and emotional health in people with Alzheimer’s disease.