Author: Marko Balašević
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Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Soy dipeptide gives good results in studying its effect on memory in Alzheimer's and dementia.
Interesting results have been obtained by Japanese researchers on the benefits of soy protein for the brain. A protein fragment extracted from soy reaches the brain, successfully crossing the blood-brain barrier. The researchers found that the soy dipeptide in question helped improve memory impairment. This case is a scientific experiment that seeks solutions to alleviate the condition of a serious brain disease, such as Alzheimer's disease.
The study by a team from Kyusho University was presented in the journal Nature .
The dipeptide in question, called Tyr-Pro, is given twice a day for only 16 days. It contains the amino acids tyrosine and proline, which have been shown to cross the path from the stomach to the brain.
Tyr-Pro faces two serious challenges, such as breaking down other peptides in digestion and later passing through a highly selective blood-brain barrier to penetrate brain tissue, explains Prof. Toshiro Matsui, study leader. .
The fact that Tyr-Pro crosses the blood-brain barrier was already known to the team from their previous study, which proved for the first time that dipeptides with Pro (Gly-Pro and Tyr-Pro) out of a total of 18 pass intact through the blood. the brain barrier and reach the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The team's goal now was to study the effect of Tyr-Pro on memory in the presence of cognitive decline due to amyloid presence. In both short-term and long-term memory tests, they found that Tyr-Pro helped improve degraded memory.
Scientists suggest that the use of the dipeptide may play a positive role in the metabolism of acetylcholine in the brain, improving the cognitive function of the central nervous system in the presence of cognitive deficits.
It remains to be seen how the protein fragment in question affects memory in humans, but researchers hope their work is a step forward in identifying a set of functional foods that can help prevent memory impairment and cognitive decline.
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible brain degenerative disease that occurs with age but is not due to aging. The symptoms of dementia characteristic of it appear when the disease is already advanced. Medical science has not yet found the cause and cure for the disease, leading to severe mental deficits to the point of losing identity. The disease causes the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques, which over time damage the communication between neurons and the functioning of the central nervous system.
There are nearly 50 million people worldwide who are affected by Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Only 1 in 4 patients is diagnosed. Their frequency is highest in Western Europe and North America.