Recent studies in nutritional epidemiology have shown that protein malnutrition is a potential risk factor for senile dementia. Elderly people with dementia have lower protein intake than their healthy counterparts, which raises the risk of mild cognitive impairment and amyloid β accumulation in the brain.

Lower blood levels of essential amino acids (EAAs) are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Earlier scientists had found that chronic intake of ‘Amino LP7’ – a specific EAA composition—Leu, Phe, and Lys supplemented with Ile, His, Val, and Trp down-regulated the expression of synaptic components and a modest acceleration of brain atrophy in mice modeling neurodegenerative tauopathies.

In a new study, researchers investigated the association between the intake of dietary proteins/Amino LP7 and elements of the etiological cascade, including fibrillary tau depositions, neuroinflammation, abnormal neurotransmission, synaptic impairment, and neuronal loss in rTg4510 mice, a mouse model of tauopathy. The findings highlight the importance of specific amino acids as systemic mediators of brain homeostasis against neurodegenerative processes.