Arginine’s long safety record and low cost make these findings especially interesting for widening access to potential treatments. Repurposing a familiar nutrient could shorten the path from laboratory discovery to real-world use, but careful clinical testing will be needed to see whether the benefits seen in flies and mice carry over to people. The study offers a rare example of a simple molecule producing measurable changes across several biological levels.
This work matters because scalable, affordable approaches could change who benefits from future Alzheimer’s care. Follow-up human studies will be the crucial next step, and the mechanisms by which arginine acts may reveal new targets for therapy. Click through to learn how a single amino acid may reshape thinking about neurodegeneration, recovery, and inclusive treatments for aging brains.
Researchers discovered that the common amino acid arginine can block harmful Aβ aggregation and reduce its toxic effects in Alzheimer’s disease models. In flies and mice, oral arginine lowered plaque levels, reduced inflammation, and improved behavior. Its strong safety record and low cost make it a promising repurposing candidate. The findings hint at a surprisingly simple path toward more accessible AD therapies.
