REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1636131
Promoting Cognitive Health Through the Nexus of Gut Microbiota and Dietary Phytochemicals
Provisionally accepted
- 1Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Brain Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guizhou Provincet, Guiyang, China
- 2School of Physical Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
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The intricate interactions between gut microbiota and cognitive function have become a forefront topic at the convergence of neuroscience and nutrition. This review systematically evaluates the bidirectional relationship between dietary phytochemicals and gut microbiota, highlighting their potential mechanisms in promoting cognitive health.The review begins by describing how gut microbiota dysbiosis can contribute to cognitive decline by transmitting gut-derived signals to the central nervous system via the gutbrain axis. Subsequently, the discussion focuses on how phytochemicals act as modulators of gut microbiota composition and undergo microbial-mediated metabolic transformation. Special attention is paid to four key microbial-derived metabolitesurolithins, sulforaphane, enterolactone, and hesperidinthat exhibit neuroprotective effects through antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and metabolic regulatory pathways.Furthermore, the review examines how individual variability in gut microbiota composition influences the efficiency of phytochemical biotransformation and underscores the implications for precision nutrition interventions. Emerging evidence indicates that the synergistic regulation of the gut-brain axis by dietary phytochemicals and gut microbiota offers a robust theoretical basis for developing novel strategies to preserve cognitive function.Future research should further clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying specific microbephytochemical interactions and accelerate the clinical translation of personalized nutrition strategies.
Keywords: Gut Microbiota, phytochemicals, Cognitive Function, gut-brain axis, Urolithins, Sulforaphane, Enterolactone, Hesperidin
Received: 27 May 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lin Luo, Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Brain Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guizhou Provincet, Guiyang, China
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