A natural amino acid found in everyday foods might help protect against Alzheimer's disease, new research has revealed, preventing the build-up of harmful brain plaques linked to the condition.
The findings, published in Neurochemistry International, show that the common supplement arginine significantly reduced toxic protein accumulation in animal studies.
It marks a promising development for the millions affected by Alzheimer's, which causes memory loss, language difficulties and behavioural changes.
Dementia occurs when abnormal proteins build up in and around brain cells. One of these proteins, amyloid, forms damaging plaques that researchers believe trigger the condition's devastating symptoms.
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The discovery could open doors for new treatments targeting brain diseases
| GETTYArginine, also called l-arginine, helps your body make proteins and appears naturally in meat, fish, nuts, seeds and dairy products. You can also buy it as a supplement in health shops across the country.
The study examined the effects of arginine on mice to see if it could tackle the amyloid beta proteins that cause problems in Alzheimer's patients.
It's worth noting that the amounts used in the experiments were specifically calculated for research and don't match what you'd find in shop-bought supplements.
Scientists gave mice arginine orally and watched what happened to the harmful plaques in their brains. The results turned out to be remarkably positive.
The mice showed fewer amyloid plaques and lower levels of the harmful Aβ42 proteins in their brains. They also performed better on behaviour tests and had less brain inflammation.
Professor Yoshitaka Nagai, who led the research, said: "Our study demonstrates that arginine can suppress Aβ aggregation both in vitro and in vivo.
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"What makes this finding exciting is that arginine is already known to be clinically safe and inexpensive, making it a highly promising candidate for repositioning as a therapeutic option for Alzheimer's disease."
The reduction in inflammatory markers is particularly important, as brain inflammation plays a major part in how Alzheimer's develops and progresses.
The discovery opens doors for new treatments targeting brain diseases caused by protein misfolding.
Professor Nagai explained: "Our findings open up new possibilities for developing arginine-based strategies for neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding and aggregation.
Arginine can be purchased as a supplement in health shops across the country
|GETTY
"Given its excellent safety profile and low cost, arginine could be rapidly translated to clinical trials for Alzheimer's and potentially other related disorders."
But there's still work to be done. The research team stressed that more studies are essential to see if these encouraging mouse results will work in humans.
They'll need to work out the right doses for people too, as what works in laboratory mice might need adjusting for human patients.
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