I have recently come across the following two studies:
- The first paper was performed on an Alzheimer's disease mouse model, and found that protein restriction cycles reduce IGF-1 and phosphorylated Tau, the latter of which is a commonly observed biomarker related to neurodegenerative diseases. It was also found that mice that had protein restriction cycles had improved cognition, among other findings.
- The second one was performed on cognitively normal adults, and found a decreased burden of brain beta-amyloid, which is also a biomarker that is usually correlated with cognitive decline.
While I understand that none of these studies attempt to suggest that either dietary protein consumption habit is better for humans, they seem to contradict themselves a bit. Though different biomarkers were observed, they both came to a different conclusion regarding cognitive function, albeit with obviously different experimental conditions as well.
These results got me asking the following question: what does the current literature suggest is better for humans regarding retaining or improving cognitive function, as it pertains to dietary protein?