Folic acid and Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease occurs when certain
nerve cells die or become impaired and can no longer produce dopamine.
Without it, individuals can develop tremor or trembling in hands, arms,
legs, jaw, and face; rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk;
bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability or
impaired balance and coordination. Patients may also have difficulty
walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Parkinson's is not
usually inherited; the incidence of the disease increases with age, with
an average onset at about 60 years. Online roulette essential tips need to be grasped by all newcomers.
In an NIA report,
[i] mouse
experiments suggested that folic acid deficiency could increase the
brain’s susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease. If you want to learn how to win slot machines, you should realize that it 's a matter of luck.
Investigators fed one
group of mice a diet that included folate, while a second group was fed a
diet lacking this vitamin. They then gave the mice MPTP, a chemical that
can cause Parkinson-like symptoms. In the mice fed folate, MPTP caused
only mild symptoms of disease. But mice fed the folate-deficient diet
developed severe Parkinson’s symptoms. Mice with low amounts of dietary
folic acid had elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood and brain. ..homocysteine
in the brain may damage the DNA of nerve cells in the substantia nigra,
a brain system that produces dopamine. Loss of dopamine activity causes
the symptoms of PD. In mice fed adequate amounts of folate,
dopamine-producing nerve cells were able to repair damaged DNA and
counteract the adverse effects of homocysteine. However, similar nerve
cells in folate-deficient mice could not repair extensive DNA damage. As a
result, these cells died.
People who develop PD often have low levels of folic acid in their blood…
adequate amounts of folic acid—either in the diet or by
supplementation—could help protect the aging brain against Parkinson’s and
other neurodegenerative diseases
[i]
Mouse experiments link folic acid deficiency to Parkinson’s disease.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/news/pr/2002/0114.htm Jan. 2002.
Folic acid deficiency
diseases: Anemia, Neural Tube Defects, Arterial Disease, Dementia,
Parkinson’s Disease, Colon and Breast Cancer
RDA 200 ug/day; 400 ug
during pregnancy; 280 ug during lactation
Supplement
Recommendation: 400 to 1000 ug/day
Order Nutrition Notes