Are you eating enough protein?

Amyloid beta is recognised as a precursor to Alzheimer’s, and new research has found that a diet higher in protein reduces it’s level in the brain and therefore the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The diet of 541 Australians were studied by researchers from Edith Cowan University and the amount of amyloid beta in their brains was measured.

The relationship between the levels of amyloid beta in their brain and the amount of protein in the diet was found.

It was confirmed through breaking the group into three and  having different daily protein consumption.

Those on 118g or more of protein each day had the lowest levels of amyloid beta – 12 times less than those on the lowest amount of around 54g of protein daily.

Lead researcher, Dr Binosha Fernando, said; “The research clearly demonstrates that the more protein eaten the lower the chances someone has of having a high amyloid beta burden on the brain, which corresponds to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the future.”

Although the link has been found between protein intake and amyloid beta levels, it is not yet understood how it works.

“One possibility is that previous studies have shown that a high protein diet is associated with lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for both Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. We also know that developing cardiovascular disease increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr Fernando said.

Factors like; gender, activity levels, age etc were not considered in this study, so there is obviously a need to further develop this research.