A recent study conducted by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, suggests that yoga could play a supportive role in managing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease by enhancing cognitive abilities, easing depressive symptoms, and promoting a healthier gut microbiome.
Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in June, the collaborative research by the Departments of Anatomy and Neurology explored the effects of a structured 12-week yoga programme on individuals diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s disease.
The participants attended supervised 60-minute yoga sessions daily over the course of three months. Researchers evaluated their cognitive performance, mood, and gut microbial composition before and after the intervention.
The findings revealed significant improvements in cognitive function, measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), along with a noticeable reduction in depression scores assessed through the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
In addition to these psychological and cognitive benefits, the study observed positive changes in the gut microbiome. Beneficial bacteria associated with reduced inflammation and improved gut and brain health including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia intestinalis, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia showed increased abundance following the yoga intervention.
Conversely, the levels of certain potentially harmful, inflammation-promoting microbes, such as Collinsella aerofaciens and Klebsiella species, declined. Researchers noted that the gut microbial profiles of Alzheimer’s patients shifted closer to those found in cognitively healthy individuals, indicating a partial restoration of microbial balance.
Dr. Rima Dada, Professor in the Department of Anatomy at AIIMS and the study’s corresponding author, said the findings provide early evidence that lifestyle practices like yoga may help foster a healthier gut environment, which could positively influence brain health.
Echoing this view, Dr. Manjari Tripathi, Head of the Department of Neurology at AIIMS Delhi, clarified that yoga should not be seen as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, she noted that it may serve as a valuable complementary therapy for individuals with early Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment by supporting both emotional well-being and cognitive function.
Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia worldwide, is characterised by progressive memory loss and declining cognitive abilities. Emerging research increasingly points to the role of the “gut-brain axis” the complex communication network between the digestive system and the brain in influencing neurological health.
The authors believe yoga may benefit this gut-brain connection by reducing stress, improving autonomic nervous system regulation, and creating conditions that favour the growth of beneficial gut microbes.
Despite the promising results, the researchers acknowledged limitations, including the study’s small sample size and the absence of a comparison group receiving an alternative intervention. They emphasised the need for larger, long-term randomised controlled trials incorporating dietary assessments and biological markers to establish whether yoga directly contributes to the observed improvements.
Even so, the study adds to growing evidence that yoga could be an affordable, accessible, and non-drug approach to supporting cognitive and emotional health among people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
