I’ve told you in the past how important protein is for your muscles, heart, and bones.
But did you know your brain is made of protein too? Or that your neurotransmitters, which allow your brain cells to communicate, are also made of protein? It’s true!
So it stands to reason that protein would be essential for good brain function. Well, a group of researchers decided to test how protein affects memory. And what they found out surprised them.
The researchers took a group of mice and performed standard memory tests on them. The first test was a timed maze. After having the mice navigate the maze, the researchers separated them and fed them either a low-protein diet or a high-protein diet.
When the researchers had the mice run through the maze again, there was a clear difference in the two groups.
The mice eating the low-protein diet took much longer to figure out the maze. They had to run a much longer distance. And they appeared anxious and confused more often. All are proven indicators of memory loss and anxiety.
In a second test, the researchers used a standard reward and punishment test to determine memory function.
Again, the mice eating a low-protein diet were quick to forget about the rewards and punishments. And the group eating more protein continued to receive the rewards and avoid the punishments much longer than the first group.
Clearly, the mice eating a high-protein diet had much better memory and brain function.
Does that Mean a High-Protein Diet Improves Your Memory?
The answer is “maybe.”
If you’ve read my previous emails, you may know that eating protein isn’t enough. You also have to digest the protein.
The problem is that most people over 50 have sluggish digestive systems. So even if we eat plenty of protein, we may not get enough into our body.
Because of this, the same team of researchers wanted to see if they could get around the digestion problem. To do this, they used amino acids.
As you may know, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. When you eat protein, the digestive system breaks them down into amino acids. But when you take amino acids instead, they bypass the digestive process and go straight into the bloodstream. They are then re-assembled into whatever proteins your body needs.
Does that mean that supplementing with essential amino acids helps brain function? The researchers aimed to find out.
In this test, the researchers gave two groups of mice the same low-protein diet. At the same time, they gave one of the groups a combination of amino acids. Then they looked at the brains of the mice using MRIs, CAT scans, and other imaging methods. Here’s what they found:
The images showed that amino acids did indeed protect the brain from the damaging effects of a low-protein diet.
What You Should Do
These studies strongly suggest that you can boost your memory and brain function by taking a combination of amino acids.
But you can’t take just any amino acid supplement. You have to take the right amino acids in the right combinations.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, there are 8 amino acids you have to get from your diet. These 8 are called the essential amino acids. And we have to take all 8 of those amino acids in the right balance. If you don’t, you won’t get all the protein you need.
I’ve told you about this product before. It’s one of our top-selling and highest-rated products for a reason. It works! I’ve never seen a food or supplement that has a more perfect balance of amino acids.