Concepts: Protein Metabolism

The human brain is perhaps the most remarkable thing that defines the human race as a species. With
its fascinating ability to process and store information, the human being becomes equipped with a
powerful computing machine that provides various abilities that are exclusive to this species. On a more
fundamental note, the human brain is renowned for its immense memory capacity which is
characterized practically by the large amount of data, in the form of memories, that accumulates all
throughout our lives. In fact, Mehrotra (2022) stated that the human brain has the ability to store more
than a petabyte of data which is equivalent to one quadrillion bytes of data. According to an article by
Scientific American (as cited in Mehrotra, 2022), the memory capacity of the human brain has about 2.5
petabytes worth of storage. To give a better view of how impressive this storage capacity is, a petabyte
is tantamount to 1024 terabytes or a million gigabytes. Simply put, the human brain is an astounding
organ of the human body. But just like all other organs within the human body, there are conditions that
must be met and maintained for their proper functioning. Perhaps the most simple illustration of organ
dysfunction would be the ultimate degeneration of the tissues themselves, and by extension, the death
of the cells that constitute the organ itself. This is basically what happens in patients suffering from
dementia.

Dementia, now called Major Neurocognitive Disorder or MND, describes an overall decline in memory
and other cognitive skills that are severe enough to reduce an individual's ability to perform everyday
activities (Emmady et al., 2022). Alzheimer's disease accounts for at least two-thirds of cases of
dementia in people aged 65 and older (Kumar et al., 2022). It is a gradual and progressive
neurodegenerative disease that is caused by neuronal cell death. As of today, there are no cures for
this disease. However, there have been some developed treatments that may improve some symptoms
and slow down their progression (Kumar et al., 2022). In this respect, society has once again
recognized the value of preventive measures. Thus, the development of various diet plans and
recommendations that aims to provide ways to prevent the development of dementia or other diseases
correlated to its development. One such diet is known as the Mediterranean diet which has been
postulated to reduce the risk of developing dementia in a 2023 article by CNN Health (Hunt, 2023).

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a focus on plant-based cooking. Specifically, Hunt (2023)
informed that this diet requires that the majority of each meal should be fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, beans, and seeds, along with a few nuts. Hunyt also highlighted the heavy emphasis on
extra-virgin olive oil with butter and other fats being consumed only rarely or not at all. The same goes
for refined sugar and flour. But most importantly, there is a significantly rare appearance of red meat in
the diet. Fish, however, is a staple. According to a study published on March 8, 2023 (as cited in Hunt,
2023), people who consumed foods from the Mediterranean diet had fewer hallmark signs of
Alzheimer's when autopsied.These hallmarks include sticky beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in
the brain. The positive impacts of the Mediterranean diet in terms of dementia prevention have been
previously correlated by various studies to the nutrient content of the foods included in the diet favoring
brain health (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). However, aside from this
perspective, I believe that there is also a correlation between the foods that are avoided in the diet and
dementia development. In this case, we shall focus positive effects of leaving out red meats from the
diet.

Wyness (2016) has listed red meat as a high source of protein. Red meat contains 20 to 24 grams of
protein on average for every 100 grams (when raw) and can therefore be considered as a protein-rich
food. In normal amounts, the consumption of red meats along with a proper, balanced diet should not
be detrimental to a person’s health. The story changes when red meat consumption is in excess,
unhealthy amounts. Protein is undeniably a valuable macromolecule that helps in the overall
development and maintenance of the human body. It is through this macro that we can accumulate
important amino acids that are used to synthesize more proteins that are needed by the body,
especially those amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body. However, excess protein
consumption has been linked to an increase in the risk of developing various diseases such as kidney
stones, heart disease, and colon cancer (Harvard Medical School, 2020). Moreover, it has been
recognized to favor the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Many studies have shown that AD (Alzheimer’s disease) patients have altered amino acid levels in
serum and in the brain in AD patients or in AD model mice. However, it is still unknown whether or not
these changes contribute to disease pathogenesis. There is, however, an important deduction that can
be made based on the characteristics of the AD brain. To do that, let us examine one protein
metabolism pathway. Glutamate metabolism in the AD brain, for example, liberates
gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA which is considered as an inhibitory transmitter (D. Griffin &
Bradshaw, 2017). Thus, for elevated levels of glutamate amino acid in the brain, there is also an
expected rise of GABA thereby affecting neural functioning via inhibition of neurotransmission. This
paints a picture of how a high-protein diet (which supplies a high amount of amino acids) can favor the
progression of MND. GABA can also be synthesized from arginine in astrocytes and increased GABA
levels synthesized through this pathway have been shown to play a role in cognitive dysfunction in an
AD mouse model [31]. Changes in the levels of enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism have also
been observed in the AD brain [32], further suggesting a role for metabolic dysregulation in AD
pathogenesis.

Ultimately, we cannot conclude that amino acid has a direct contribution to the development of
dementia. However, it was shown that the AD brain is characterized by metabolic dysregulation. This
implies that the death of cells in the brain is also accommodated by the gradual deterioration of
metabolic regulation. Thus, in dementia prevention, it is also important for the balance (in terms of
amino acids) to be maintained in the brain. This calls for avoiding excess consumption of
amino-acid-rich food including red meat.
References
D. Griffin, J. W., & Bradshaw, P. C. (2017). Amino Acid Catabolism in Alzheimer's Disease Brain:
Friend or Foe? Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5472792
Emmady, P.D., Schoo, C., & Tadi, P. (2022). Major Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia). In:
StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557444/
Harvard Medical School. (2020, March 30). When it comes to protein, how much is too much?
Harvard Health Publishing.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/when-it-comes-to-protein-how-much-is-too-much
Hunt, K. (2023, March 13). Mediterranean diet linked with reduced risk of developing dementia.
CNN Health.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/13/health/mediterranean-diet-dementia-wellness/index.html
Kumar, A., Sidhu, J., Goyal, A., & Tsao, J.W. (2022). Alsheimer disease. In: StatPearls [Internet].
Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499922/
Mehrotra, S. (2022, May 17). What is the memory capacity of a human brain? Medanta.
https://www.medanta.org/patient-education-blog/what-is-the-memory-capacity-of-a-human-brain
#:~:text=As%20mentioned%20in%20an%20article,2.5%20million%20gigabytes%20of%20mem
ory.
United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2023, May 4). MIND and
Mediterranean diets linked to fewer signs of Alzheimer's brain pathology
Wyness, L. (2016). The role of red meat in the diet: Nutrition and health benefits. Proceedings of
the Nutrition Society, 75(3), 227-232. doi:10.1017/S0029665115004267