We hear a lot about the different ratio’s of carbs and fat in our diet to achieve the desired results, but we don’t pay that much attention to our protein and its quality. And we should as it has tremendious impact on our brain health, especially while getting older.
As we know dietary protein consists of its smaller parts – the amino acids. There are 20 amino acids. How they are connected to each other, determines each protein’s unique structure and its specific function in our body. From these 20 amino acids there are 9 essential amino acids that our body can’t make. The only way to receive them is through our diet.
A recent small study investigated whether a lack of the essential amino acids had any effect on the brain health of healthy adults aged 55+. The study used 7 selected essential amino acids in form of a granular powder in 2 different doses for 12 weeks to see whether it influences cognitive and psychosocial brain functions in participants.
It turned out that only 6 g of the tested amino acid powder daily led to improved attention, cognitive flexibility and psychosocial functioning, which is expected to prevent cognitive decline while aging. The another dose of 3 g didn’t show any improvement in cognitive function.
You can see – it’s all about the details. Pay attention to the ratio and the necessary dose of your essential amino acids!
In case, you wonder: the ratio of the tested 7 essential amino acids (called Amino LP7) was as follows:
0.47 g of leucine, 0.42 g of phenylalanine, 0.33 g of lysine hydrochloride, 0.13 g of isoleucine, 0.08 g of histidine hydrochloride, 0.06 g of valine, and 0.01 g of tryptophan.
Curious? HERE is the source