Universitas Andalas’ Dadiah Research Offers New Hope for Alzheimer’s Treatment Based on Local Wisdom in Support of SDG 3 and SDG 9

Research conducted by students of the Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Andalas, has opened new hope for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease through the use of dadiah, a traditional fermented buffalo milk product from Minangkabau culture. This initiative is closely aligned with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), as it connects the potential of traditional food with modern health innovation to explore the relationship between the gut and the brain in neurodegenerative disease.

The research team is led by Muhammad Samudra Ilham, with members Febi Febianti, Zhafira Nabila Irsyah, Sofiana Kemal, and Muhammad Naufal. Their study, titled The Neuroprotective Potential of Dadiah as an Alzheimer’s Therapy through Microbiota Balance with Histopathological and Bioinformatics Analysis, has secured funding and is currently underway. The research focuses on the potential of dadiah as an alternative therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, which is reported to affect more than 4.2 million people in Indonesia and is characterized by nerve cell damage caused by increased beta-amyloid plaque, leading to memory decline and impaired cognitive function.

What makes this study distinctive is its use of the gut-brain axis approach, a two-way communication pathway between the digestive system and the brain. The team chose to investigate dadiah because this traditional food is known for its high probiotic potential and is dominated by lactic acid bacteria, reportedly reaching 10^8 cfu/g. Building on previous clinical studies showing that probiotic supplementation can effectively improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients, the Universitas Andalas team designed an in vivo experimental study using Alzheimer’s model mice, combined with histopathological and bioinformatics analyses.

Through this research, the team aims to prove that probiotics derived from dadiah have a neuroprotective effect on the brains of mice through metabolites that interact with key Alzheimer’s proteins and modulate the gut microbiota. Muhammad Samudra Ilham described the study as a blend of preserving Minangkabau culture, increasing the added value of the traditional dadiah product, and advancing understanding of the molecular mechanisms of probiotic interaction with Alzheimer’s disease. The team is also supervised by Rita Maliza, S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D., who has a research background in Biochemistry and Human Biology.

This research therefore not only strengthens scientific innovation based on local potential, but also highlights that traditional food heritage can become part of the search for future health solutions.