Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Bomenweg 4, P.O. Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands,
Amino Acids. 2013 Nov;45(5):1035-45. doi: 10.1007/s00726-013-1583-0. Epub 2013 Aug 29.
As the population of elderly people is growing rapidly, the number of individuals with dementia and cognitive impairment is also increasing. One of the preventive measures against cognitive decline is diet and different dietary factors have already been investigated. This review provides an overview of studies on dietary protein and cognitive functioning and cognitive decline. Also studies on the individual amino acids that are related to brain function, tryptophan and tyrosine, are discussed. Overall, the role of dietary protein intake on cognitive functioning as well as cognitive decline has hardly been studied; we found eight observational studies and three intervention studies. More studies investigated the role of tryptophan (14 studies) and tyrosine (nine studies) in relation to cognitive functioning, but all these studies were performed in young adult populations and mostly under special conditions. Research in elderly populations, in particular, is warranted. Also more research is needed to come to definitive conclusions and specific recommendations regarding protein intake or intake of specific amino acids for maintaining optimal cognitive functioning.
随着老年人口的迅速增长，患有痴呆症和认知障碍的人数也在增加。预防认知能力下降的措施之一是饮食，不同的饮食因素已经过研究。本篇综述提供了关于饮食蛋白质与认知功能和认知衰退的研究概述。此外，还讨论了与大脑功能有关的个别氨基酸，色氨酸和酪氨酸。总的来说，关于饮食蛋白质摄入量对认知功能以及认知衰退的影响，几乎没有研究；我们仅发现八项观察性研究和三项干预性研究。有更多的研究调查了色氨酸（14 项研究）和酪氨酸（9 项研究）与认知功能的关系，但这些研究都是在年轻成年人中进行的，而且大多是在特殊条件下进行的。特别需要在老年人群体中开展研究。此外，还需要更多的研究来得出关于蛋白质摄入或摄入特定氨基酸以维持最佳认知功能的明确结论和具体建议。
