Parkinson's Disease & Nutrition

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder marked by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical key in controlling muscle activity. When dopamine levels are low, normally coordinated brain regions that control body movement become out of sync, leading to tremors, muscle rigidity, slowed movement and balance and coordination problems. levodopa is a precursor to dopamine in the brain, and the synthetic version can greatly alleviate patients' symptoms. It does not cure the disorder, though, and the efficacy of the drug diminishes with time.

Parkinson's Disease - Complementary Carnosine Therapy

The ultimate cause, on the atomic level, are toxic free radicals and their toxic metabolites, which damage certain cells in the brain. H2O2 and TPA (tetracanoylphorbolacetate) are such radicals, and they are able to kill brain cells prematurely. Carnosine has been shown to prevent these radicals and it is thus protecting the brain cells (Kang et al. 2002 b - Abstract).

Lewy particles in the brain of Parkinson patients accumulate a substance called alpha-Synuclein, which accelerates the disease. This substance is produced due to oxidative stress. Carnosine is able to combat both oxidative stress and accumulation of alpha-Synuclein (Kim et al. 2002 - Abstract).

MEDLINE data base includes at this writing six documents on the relationship between carnosine and Parkinson´s. If you want to read them, search for "carnosine; Parkinson", and click "go".

Nutritional Recommendations for Parkinson's Disease:

• Carnosine for it's neuroprotective and antioxidant qualities