(19-12-07) Scientists connect DHA to warding off symptoms of Parkinson's

By Clarisse Douaud

have linked what has become the brain health staple of the supplement industry - the omega-3 fatty acid DHA - to yet another application, this one for Parkinson's disease.

In a study on mice - set to be published in the April 2008 edition of the FASEB Journal (the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) - researchers from Universit? Laval in Canada claim to have demonstrated a protective effect of a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids on the neurodegenerative disease.

It is estimated that four million people worldwide Parkinson's. Approximately 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with the disease each year, according to the Parkinson 's Disease Society, while the National Parkinson Foundation estimates that in the US 60,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, adding to the 1.5 million Americans who already have the disease.

The condition is characterized by the death or impairment of neurons in the brain that produce the chemical dopamine, which is responsible for the coordination of muscles and movement. Symptoms of the disease become debilitating and include tremors, rigidity and difficulty balancing. While the disease usually develops after the age of 65, 15 percent of diagnosed cases occur under the age of 50.

The Universit? Laval research team say its findings could help prevent the disease and potentially slow down its progression.

The researchers found that when mice were fed an omega-rich diet, they seemed to be immune to the effect of the toxic compound MPTP that causes the same damage to the brain as Parkinson's.

"This compound, which has been used for more than 20 years in Parkinson's research, works faster than the disease itself and is just as effective in targeting and destroying the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain," said researcher Frederic Calon.

Subsequently, the group of mice fed an ordinary diet developed symptoms of the disease when injected with MPTP. This included a 31 percent drop in dopamine-producing neurons and a 50 percent decrease in dopamine.

According to the researchers, among the mice that had been given omega-3 supplementation - in particular DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) - omega-3 fatty acids replaced the omega-6 fatty acids in their brains.

Due to the fact concentrations of other omega-3s had maintained levels in both groups of mice, the researchers suggested the protective effect against Parkinson's indeed came from DHA.

Source: Breaking News on Supplements & Nutrition - Europe

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