May 4, 2026
Researchers say supplements may have cognitive benefits, call for more studies
Written by Marisa Wexler, MS | May 1, 2026
- Probiotics did not reduce anxiety in Parkinson's patients more than a placebo.
- However, probiotic use showed potential cognitive improvements.
- Further research is needed to confirm probiotics' cognitive benefits in Parkinson's.
A small clinical trial testing whether a probiotic supplement could ease anxiety in people with Parkinson’s disease found that it was no better than a placebo.
However, patients given the supplement showed significant improvements on cognitive tests compared with those given the placebo. The researchers cautioned that this finding should be interpreted cautiously, and called for further studies to explore whether probiotics may help improve cognition in Parkinson’s.
“While no group differences were observed for neuropsychiatric symptoms following the 12-week intervention, the potential cognitive benefits seen in the probiotic group warrant further investigation,” they wrote in the study, “Probiotic supplementation for anxiety symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial,” which was published in npj Parkinson’s Disease.
Anxiety — uncontrollable worry or fear — is a common nonmotor symptom of Parkinson’s that can cause substantial distress. Although talk therapy and medication may help manage anxiety, these available therapies don’t work for everyone. Researchers are actively searching for new ways to help ease anxiety.
Probiotics are a broad class of supplements containing living bacteria that are thought to be beneficial for health. More than 20 clinical trials have tested whether various probiotic supplements can ease anxiety in the general population, with some reporting promising effects. A few studies have also tested whether probiotics can help ease various symptoms of Parkinson’s, but there’s minimal data on whether probiotics may help ease anxiety in people with this neurological disease.
May 1, 2026
By Nicole Gregory, Published on March 16, 2026
From walking and strength training to yoga and balance work, doctors say regular exercise can ease Parkinson’s symptoms and improve quality of life — and it’s now central to care.
In 2023, when Samantha Dunn was 58, she started to notice subtle changes in her body and the way she moved. Her handwriting became smaller and she had a strange twitch in one of her fingers. She also felt her left leg was weaker than her right. When her cousin mentioned he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after experiencing similar symptoms, Samantha had a sinking feeling she had it, too.
After finally receiving the diagnosis — her primary care doctor had initially brushed off her symptoms — the neurologist said that exercise was the prescription. “After that, I was assigned to a movement disorder specialist,” Dunn said, “who further elaborated on the amount of exercise recommended — high intensity, five days a week for a half an hour, plus yoga for balance.”
Dunn, who lives in Southern California, now considers herself lucky. Her exercise routine has grown to include vigorous walking and weight lifting, along with horseback riding. If she has to work long hours at her desk, she takes 10-minute breaks to do push ups or use free weights she keeps nearby.
“Exercising makes a huge difference in my energy level,” she said, adding that it also helps with mental clarity that cuts through her occasional brain fog. She credits yoga for helping her with balance.
Improving symptoms and slowing progression
It was patients like Dunn and their physical therapists who, decades ago, were the first to notice the benefits of exercise on symptoms of Parkinson’s, said John Walsh, Ph.D., associate professor of gerontology and associate dean of education at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, whose research is focused on neuroscience and brain diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Research then confirmed those experiences, Walsh said. A 2022 study from Japan published in the journal Neurology tracked 237 people with early Parkinson’s for five years and found that moderate to vigorous exercise were associated with slower decline of their posture and gait stability.
And a 2024 research review published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
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