This isn't to say that to stay alert, you ought to eat mostly protein. A healthy brain produces hundreds of neurotransmitters needed for regular maintenance of the brain and needs proteins to do so. But the brain also needs carbohydrates for fuel and other nutrients for repair and maintenance of brain cells.

You don't need to load up on protein. Most Americans eat far more protein than they need and as a consequence end up consuming too much fat and cholesterol as well. The USDA recommends only two to three small servings of protein a day, or about 12 percent of total calories—and that's more than what most of the world consumes.

Poultry, seafood and lean meat are the richest sources, as are dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds. Grains and vegetables have protein too, albeit in lesser amounts but without the fat. However, watching your diet isn't always enough.

Some neurotransmitters, like dopamine, essential to feelings of pleasure and reward, are also depleted by stress and a lack of sleep. Alcohol , caffeine and sugar all appear to lessen the effects of some neurotransmitters in the brain. In addition to a healthy, varied diet, the brain also needs healthy everyday living habits.

Brain Power: Why Proteins Are Smart The brain's protein connection: How proteins keep the mind working smoothly, and properly.

By Willow Lawson published January 3, - last reviewed on June 9, Share. Back Psychology Today. A high-protein, calorie-reduced diet can cause the harmful liver Long-Term Benefits of a Low-Fat Diet.

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Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant. Lycopene regulates genes that influence inflammation and regulates cell growth within the brain. Whole grains contain complex carbohydrates, omega 3s, and B vitamins that all support normal brain function.

The complex carbs provide a steady supply of energy that regulate mood and behavior, as well as aid in learning and memory. Brown rice is full of B-vitamins, which help convert homocysteine, an amino acid, into important brain chemicals used for learning and creating new memories.

Green tea is packed full of antioxidants that help protect against free radicals. Red wine contains an antioxidant called resveratrol. This antioxidant helps improve blood flow to the brain and aids in attention and concentration.

Remember: moderation is key when it comes to consuming alcohol. Dark chocolate is not only delicious, but it is packed full of antioxidants which, as we know, protect against free radicals. Quinoa is high in complex carbs, iron and B vitamins.

The brain uses up 20 percent of consumed carbohydrates which is a lot for being just 2 percent of your body mass. Complex carbs are brain food.

They provide a steady supply of energy needed for normal brain function. Iron helps blood oxygenate the body and is important for attention and concentration.

B vitamins help create brain chemicals that are important for creating memories. Our knowledgeable staff at UnityPoint Clinic - Neurology can answer your questions. Visit us online for more information, or find a provider near you. UnityPoint Health News and Articles 15 "Brain Foods" That May Help Preserve Your Memory.

Nuts and Seeds Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and peanuts, as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds, are brain foods high in protein and omega fatty acids.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and play an important role in building proteins, hormones and neurotransmitters. Each protein is made up of a combination of amino acids. The arrangement of amino acids determines the different shapes and functions of the protein.

Most of the amino acids can be made by the body itself. Nine of the 22 must be introduced through diet — these are known as essential amino acids. Another group of amino acids are conditional amino acids. These amino acids are only considered essential when the body is ill or stressed.

The rest of amino acids are considered non-essential amino acids that can be created in the body. The non-essential amino acids are. Selenocysteine and pyrrolysine are considered the 21st and 22nd amino acid. It was recently discovered that these two amino acids may be integrated into protein chains during ribosomal protein synthesis.

What protein boosts memory? Proteins that are responsible for memory are netrin and Dnmt3a2 , which is an epigenetic regulator that modifies the genetic material in DNA. Dnmt3a2 was found to increase memory capacity in elderly mice when injected with a virus which stimulated the production of Dnmt3a2.

What are different types of proteins in the brain? There are approximately 13, different proteins in an adult mouse brain , and the scientists are still working on others.

What is brain protein disease Prion disease? A prion is an infectious agent which causes normal proteins to fold abnormally and cause brain damage. Prion diseases are a group of rare, fatal brain diseases that affect animals and humans.

How is your protein intake, and do you focus on getting your protein mostly from plant sources or animal products? Let us know in the comment section below.

Tiana is an Associate Registered Nutritionist who has a passion for public health and education. Protein — NZ Nutrition Foundation.

Psychology Today. Birdseye [cited Apr 13]. Animal vs. Healthline Media; [cited Apr 11]. Protein Bioavailability — Musashi [Internet]. Nutrient Reference Values [Internet].

Brain nutrition is food for thought [Internet]. MSU Extension. Dietary branched chain amino acids ameliorate injury-induced cognitive impairment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Effect of whey protein supplementation on inflammatory and antioxidant markers, and clinical prognosis in acute ischemic stroke TNS Trial : a randomized, double blind, controlled, clinical trial.

Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin. How a key protein boosts memory, learning in the adult brain [Internet]. Medical News Today; [cited Apr 10].

Exercise plasma boosts memory and dampens brain inflammation via clusterin. Mu-opioid receptors and dietary protein stimulate a gut-brain neural circuitry limiting food intake. Protein deficiency-induced behavioral abnormalities and neurotransmitter loss in aged mice are ameliorated by essential amino acids.

Frontiers in nutrition. Tyrosine: Benefits, Side Effects and Dosage [Internet]. Healthline Media; [cited Apr 10]. Tryptophan depletion increases aggression in women during the premenstrual phase. RBAP48 drives age-related memory loss. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Behavioral and Brain Functions.

Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times; [cited Apr 13]. Low Protein Diet Induces Memory Loss and Anxiety Like Behavior via Decreases of Neurotransmitters in Aged Male Mice P Current Developments in Nutrition.

Dietary patterns and cognitive function among older community-dwelling adults. Nutritional effects on hormone production. Journal of Animal Science. What is brain fog and how to treat it? MO Marketplace. Taste of Home. Taste of Home; [cited Apr 12].

Cleveland Clinic. Biochemistry, Essential Amino Acids [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing; [cited May 12]. Dnmt3a2: a hub for enhancing cognitive functions.

Molecular Psychiatry, Sharma, S. Schmitt, C. Bergner, S. Tyanova, N. Kannaiyan, N. Manrique-Hoyos, K. Kongi, L. Cantuti, U. Hanisch, M. Philips, M. Rossner, M. Cell type- and brain region-resolved mouse brain proteome. Nature Neuroscience, November DOI: Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content Friday June 3, 9 minutes to read. Tiana Hape-Cramond Associate Registered Nutritionist. Evidence Based. A number of studies report that a diet high in protein influences cognitive performance, but the results are inconsistent.

Studies demonstrated that protein from different food sources has differential effects on cognition. It is increasingly recognized that the integrity of cerebrovascular blood—brain barrier BBB is pivotal for central nervous system function.

However, to date, no studies have reported the effects of high-protein diets on BBB integrity. Therefore, in this study, the effects of diets enriched in casein or soy protein on BBB permeability were investigated. Immunomicroscopy analyses of cerebral parenchymal immunoglobulin G extravasation indicated significant BBB disruption in the cortex of young adult mice maintained on high-casein diet for 12 weeks, while no signs of BBB dysfunction were observed in mice fed with control or high-soy protein diet.

Moreover, cortical expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP was significantly greater in mice fed the high-casein diet compared to control mice, indicating heightened astrocyte activation, whereas mice maintained on a soy-enriched diet showed no increase of GFAP abundance.

Plasma concentrations of homocysteine were markedly greater in mice maintained on a high-casein diet in comparison to control mice. Collectively, these findings suggest that a diet enriched in casein but not soy protein may induce astrocyte activation through exaggerated BBB permeability by increased plasma homocysteine.

The outcomes indicate the differential effects of protein sources on BBB and neuroinflammation, which may provide an important implication for dietary guidelines for protein supplementation. The blood—brain barrier BBB is a unique feature of the neurovascular unit that physically separates brain from blood.

The BBB is comprised of the endothelium, accompanying basal lamina and supporting pericytes and astrocytes. The plasma membranes of the endothelial cells contain adherens and tight junction proteins that limit the paracellular space between endothelial cells to reinforce strict control of transport of substances between blood and brain compartments 1 , 2.

The BBB has recently garnered significant research interest within the area of neurodegenerative disorders whereby increasing evidence suggests chronic and acute increases in BBB permeability may impose substantial stress on neuronal integrity and function 3.

A dysfunctional BBB results in cerebral extravasation of blood-borne neuroactive molecules including pro-inflammatory cytokines and thereafter, potential genesis of reactive oxygen species. Persistently elevated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress can increase endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein misfolding, and DNA and cellular damage, which may eventually result in the loss of neurons 4.

There is increasing evidence that dietary macro- and micronutrients regulate cerebral capillary integrity and function 5 — 7.

Western styled high-fat diets enriched in saturated fats and cholesterol attenuate tight junction protein expression 8 , 9 , resulting in blood-to-brain extravasation of plasma proteins and macromolecules, neurovascular inflammation and with long-term feeding, cognitive decline.

However, equicaloric high-fat diets containing principally mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFAs were found to have no detrimental effects on BBB integrity in preclinical rodent model studies.

Carbohydrate-induced models of insulin resistance also indicate aberrations in BBB integrity preceding onset of frank diabetes and cognitive dysfunction. Surprisingly, putative regulatory effects of dietary protein on the barrier function of cerebral capillaries have not been previously reported.

Paradoxical clinical and population cognitive studies are consistent with potential differential effects of dietary protein source on brain capillary integrity. Some findings suggest that older-aged subjects may cognitively benefit from diets enriched in protein 10 , 11 , while other studies indicate potential detrimental effects Differential effects were indicated by Vercambre et al.

who found in a study of 4, participants that higher poultry intake was associated with better cognitive function, whereas no significant associations were observed with beef, pork, and lamb In this study, two commonly consumed protein-rich formulations were considered to investigate potential regulatory effects on brain capillary integrity and function.

Casein describes a group of phosphoproteins commonly found in mammalian milk. Being hydrophobic and forming a gelatinous emulsion during digestion, casein supplementation is commonly used for sustained release of amino acids. The alternate source studied was soy protein, which contains principally globulin proteins that are hydrophilic.

Milk- and pulse-derived protein isolates both contain a complement of biologically active or metabolic proteins.

The findings reported in this study are therefore indicative of synergistic effects of complex food commodity protein concentrates provided in a physiologically relevant context.

The mice in control group received a modified standard maintenance chow, AINM with calcium and phosphorus content increased to maintain equality with the intervention diets for 12 weeks.

All diets were prepared by Specialty Feeds WA, Australia. The mice had ad libitum access to diet and water and were kept in an accredited animal holding facility. All experiments were performed according to the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes.

Animal housing and experimental procedures were approved by Animal Ethics Committee Curtin University approval no.

The female mice were selected to allow group casing that is required by the ethics and also to make the study consistent with our previous studies. Following exsanguination, the brains were removed and washed in phosphate-buffered saline.

Total homocysteine was assayed in plasma with a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA. Plasma was diluted or with Multi-Assay Manual Diluent No. The measurement of cerebral parenchymal extravasation of endogenous immunoglobulin g IgG by using 3-D immunofluorescent confocal microscopy has been widely utilized as a surrogate marker for BBB permeability and established within our laboratory as described previously 7 , Briefly, 20 µm cryosections were prepared from the right hemispheres.

After blocking of non-specific binding sites, polyclonal goat anti-mouse IgG antibody conjugated with Alexa Life Technologies, MA, USA was applied to the sections for 20 h at 4°C. Blood vessels were identified by the IgG staining and nuclei staining DAPI.

Parenchymal extravasation of IgG outside of those identified vessels was selected by an automated threshold-based measurement module of Volocity 3-D image analysis software that were subsequently confirmed and adjusted manually by the investigators.

Glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP , a marker of astrogliosis and astrocytosis, was used as a surrogate indicator of neuronal insults including neuroinflammation, as previously described 7. Briefly, sections were incubated with polyclonal rabbit anti-mouse GFAP Abcam, CB, UK at 4°C for 20 h.

The tissues were then incubated with goat anti-rabbit IgG conjugated with Alexa for 2 h at 20°C. The slides were counterstained with DAPI and mounted with anti-fading medium. Briefly, the images were captured with ApoTome optical sectioning system and MRm digital camera connected to AxioVert M Carl Zeiss, Germany.

Images were taken at × magnification µm × µm , with each 3-D image consisting of 12 Z-stack images with the distance between the Z stack slices being 1. To minimize the bias, the images were taken randomly in both the hippocampal and cortical brain regions. For each mouse killed, approximately 20 images were taken from the cortex, and approximately 6 images were taken from the hippocampus, which covered more than half of each brain region.

For quantification of IgG and GFAP cerebral abundance, Volocity 3-D image analysis software PerkinElmer, UK was utilized to calculate voxel intensity of the fluorescent dye of interest, expressed per volume unit. All data were entered and calculated on Excel Microsoft, CA, USA and expressed as mean ± SEM.

Data analysis was completed using Prism 7 GraphPad, CA, USA. For the data that were not normally distributed, non-parametric Kruskal—Wallis test with Mann—Whitney post hoc analysis was used. Modified AINM diet and protein-enriched diets were well tolerated by mice with similar rates of growth for casein and soy groups of mice compared to the mice maintained on control chow containing Following 12 weeks of dietary intervention, the weight of mice in the treatment groups was not significantly different from each other group control: The effect of high-protein diets on parenchymal IgG extravasation is presented in Figure 1.

Substantial peri-vascular parenchymal extravasation of plasma-derived IgG was observed in the mice maintained on a diet enriched in casein for 12 weeks, indicating substantial breakdown of BBB, while no distinct evidence of BBB disruption was found in control and soy protein-fed mice Figure 1 A.

The semiquantitative analyses of 3-D immunofluorescent microscopy images revealed that mice fed with high-casein diet showed significantly elevated IgG extravasation in the cerebral cortex region Figure 1 B.

The cortical IgG extravasation in mice fed with high-soy diet was comparable to control mice. The IgG extravasation in the hippocampal formation of high-casein- and -soy protein-fed mice was not significantly different from control mice, although it showed some increasing trend Figure 1 B. Figure 1.

Semiquantitative analyses of cerebral parenchymal immunoglobulin g IgG extravasation. Cerebral capillary integrity was assessed via immunofluorescent detection of the plasma protein IgG within the cerebral parenchyma in mice maintained on control chow, high-casein diet, or high-soy protein diet.

A The micrographs show the representative images of peri-vascular IgG green in cortex region with DAPI counterstaining of cell nuclei blue. B Semiquantitative analysis of IgG extravasation in cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation is shown.

Data shown as mean ± SEM. Cerebral parenchymal GFAP expression was markedly elevated in the mice maintained on high-casein diet for 12 weeks indicating heightened neuronal insults, while exaggerated astrogliosis and astrocytosis were not observed in soy protein-fed mice Figure 2 A.

Semiquantitative microscopy analyses showed that GFAP expression in the cortex of mice fed with high-casein diet was significantly higher than the control mice, while no significant increase was observed in soy protein-fed mice Figure 2 B.

No significant changes of GFAP expression were observed in hippocampal region of mice maintained on high-protein diets. Figure 2. Semiquantitative analyses of cerebral glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP expression.

According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, this value is well above the recommended daily intake. To put this number into context, here are some examples of commonly consumed protein sources:. If you focused on healthy, protein-dense foods at every meal, your consumption would quickly add up.

It is important to note that it is not clear why protein may influence amyloid beta levels. Some theories include the connection between a high-protein diet and lower blood pressure, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease.

As we know, anything that is good for your heart is typically good for your brain. Another theory is that high-protein diets are great for weight control. Next to water, protein makes up the most weight within the human body. It is a nutrient and an essential building block for muscles, bones, hormones, and the brain.

This means, that in some cases, individuals need to increase their intake of protein in order to meet their daily requirements. In terms of neural health, the role of protein becomes more complex.

It optimizes brain function and is essential when aiming to maintain a healthy heart-brain balance. Although neurons are essentially made of fat, they communicate via proteins. Since brain cells communicate via chemical messaging, protein is required to produce key neurotransmitters.

Serotonin, for instance, is produced from the amino acid L-tryptophan — and amino acids are the building of protein. This means that the foods you consume can affect which chemicals are dominant in your brain.