The cure for memory loss could be sitting on a shelf in the dairy aisle.

Dr. Ana Mendes-Silva at the University of Saskatchewan has been studying the properties of milk kefir and its ability to demonstrate the connection between the gut microbiome and the brain.

Mendes-Silva says after allowing fruit flies to eat kefir, she observed that the flies experienced a reduction in inflammation, gut-leak, neural degeneration, as well as improved memory and learning behavior.

“It’s very important to understand that the gut is a major player in brain health, because many of the neurotransmitters are being produced in the gut. If it’s not working properly, we’re going to have effects in the brain, as well.”

She says the same thing happens in our bodies when we ingest kefir, which has 50 different strains of beneficial bacteria compared to the ten that are found in yogurt.

“Our specific idea was to determine which of these specific molecules were able to cross over (to the brain) from the gut.”

She says next steps in her research include conducting the same testing on mice and eventually performing clinical trials on humans.

She says there is still at least ten years of research and trials to go before being able to declare kefir as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, but they have gathered very indicative evidence that kefir-derived peptides work well to reduce inflammation and neurodegeneration.