Nutritional Factors
Some supplements with reported benefits in Parkinson’s disease are acetyl-L-carnitine, octacosanol and evening primrose oil. Carnitine helps to increase energy production by channeling fatty acids into cells, it is especially brain active as acetyl-L-carnitine and helps to improve memory and possibly other brain functions. Octacosanol is a long-chain lipid concentrated from wheat-germ oil. It generally increases endurance and some Parkinson patients responded with improvement in their daily living activities and mood. Evening primrose oil, on the other hand, may help to reduce tremors. Involuntary movements may be reduced with antioxidants, lecithin and manganese.
Amino acids: The neurotransmitter dopamine is formed in the brain from the amino acid tyrosine with L-dopa as an intermediary stage. Tyrosine can be obtained from food or synthesized from another amino acid, phenylalanine. Therefore, tyrosine and phenylalanine can be used as nutritional supplements to ensure that the brain has sufficient raw material for the synthesis of dopamine.
Growdon in an experimental study reported in Life Sciences in 1982 showed that supplementation with 100 mg /kg /day or about 6-7g of tyrosine increased the dopamine formation in the brain of patients with Parkinson’ s disease.
L-dopa treatment tends to create a brain deficiency of the amino acid tryptophan resulting in depression and other side effects. Several studies show that patients benefit with mood improvement and functional abilities when given tryptophan in addition to L-dopa. Tryptophan is a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin has a sedating effect and may be helpful in improving or lessening uncontrolled movements caused by an oversupply of levodopa. It also improves the sleeping ability. Bananas (especially the skins) and milk are high in tryptophan. Recent reports of a Parkinson patient regaining mobility with the illegal drug ecstasy revealed that this drug did not increase dopamine but rather serotonin production.
Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland only when we sleep in total darkness, stimulates serotonin synthesis as well. However, melatonin production is blocked if we do not get sufficient sunlight or other full-spectrum light into our eyes during the daytime, including the ultraviolet fractions. These are filtered out by windows or when wearing glasses.
Antioxidants: Ascorbic acid helps to counteract the severe side effects of L-dopa. Sacks reported a double-blind study in the Lancet (1975) of a patient who could not tolerate L-dopa because of severe nausea. If the drug was supplemented with ascorbic acid his condition greatly improved while every time he received a placebo instead of vitamin C his condition rapidly deteriorated.
There are now studies showing the benefits of high-level supplementation with antioxidants, especially vitamin C. Best results are usually achieved by combining several antioxidants. The time until levodopa treatment becomes necessary may be delayed for several years in newly diagnosed patients receiving 3000 mg per day each of vitamin C and E as compared to a group without supplementation. Even stronger antioxidants than vitamin C are the various bioflavonoids that provide the red, pink and purple colors in flowers, fruits and vegetables. Most of these are water-soluble and easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Some suggested antioxidant supplements are proanthocyandins from grape seed extract and tocotrienols extracted from palm oil.
While the level of dopamine in the brain of aging individuals and especially with Parkinson’s disease declines to about half its normal level, the colored oxidation products of dopamine and of other neurotransmitters increasingly accumulate. Very high amounts of such colored deposits were found in a specific area of the brain after L-dopa treatment as compared to Parkinson patients without L-dopa treatment.
In addition, other oxidized substances, especially lipids and proteins, accumulate in cells, including nerve cells. These accumulations of oxidation products in the skin are known as ‘age spots’ or ‘liver spots’. Such age pigments are composed of lipofuscin, ceroid and amyloid and begin filling up the nerve cells until they are killed when residue levels reach up to 70%. An additional factor may be the autoxidation of dopamine yielding hydrogen peroxide and free radicals that damage dopamine receptors. All of these harmful oxidation effects can be prevented and partially reversed by long-term supplementation with high amounts of antioxidants, preferably combined with periodic cleansing diets.
Vitamin B6 is essential for the synthesis of dopamine. Therefore, this vitamin, together with its cofactor zinc, should be provided in high amounts to overcome long-term deficiency symptoms and stimulate the production of dopamine. While there is also a negative report, various other studies show varying degrees of benefits from vitamin B6 supplements. Supplementation of 10 – 100 mg of vitamin B6 daily resulted in decreased cramps, rigidity and tremors as well as in better walking and bladder control. Improvement generally was more frequent in cases of shorter duration and least pronounced in long-standing conditions.
Of course, improvements from vitamin B6 supplementation would be limited by existing deficiencies in zinc and tyrosine or phenylalanine as well as other cofactors in dopamine synthesis. The same applies to magnesium the classical relaxation mineral. It helps to relieve tremors, trembling, twitching, muscle rigidity and cramps.
In addition, it should be noted that when taken together with L-dopa, vitamin B6 stimulates production of dopamine from the provided L-dopa in other parts of the body with less L-dopa reaching the brain and a decreased effectiveness. This may be a factor causing negative findings in some experimental studies. However, this is not so much of a problem if L-dopa is used together with a decarboxylase inhibitor. Nevertheless, with higher doses of vitamin B6 it is advisable to take the vitamin either at the end of the day after the last levodopa or during the day in smaller amounts about an hour after taking levodopa and several hours before the next lot.
Dietary Factors: For patients on L-dopa the meal composition is important. With meals high in protein, absorption is delayed and also less L-dopa reaches the brain through the blood-brain barrier and the condition may deteriorate. After a meal high in carbohydrates, on the other hand, more L-dopa reaches the brain and dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements) may develop. Therefore, drug intake should be adjusted to the type of the meal. The best way is to eat only one protein meal daily and have this in the evening after the last daily dose of levodopa.
Detrimental dietary effects can be seen with a high intake of sugar and fat. A high sugar diet increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease three-fold (Hellenbrand in Neurology 1996) while a high intake of animal fats is associated with a five-fold increase (Logroscino in Annals of Neurology1996). Conversely diets high in vitamin C and beta-carotene are highly protective. The way in which a high-fat diet is detrimental may simply be by reducing the blood flow to the brain and thereby causing oxygen deficiency. Sugar, on the other hand, induces an excessive release of insulin which causes hypoglycemia and with this a shortage of brain fuel. Both of these factors would make brain cells susceptible to chemical toxicity.
Coffee consumption has been found to be associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (Benedetti in Neurology 2000 and Deleu in Neurology 2001). This may be due to the effect of caffeine in stimulating brain activity. Regardless whether this is a causal effect or not it should be beneficial to drink coffee in the morning in order to delay the time when the first levodopa is required.
Coenzyme Q10 is required for the oxidative energy production in the mitochondria of all cells and especially in the brain with its high energy requirement. It is specifically this impaired mitochondrial energy production that causes cells in the substantia nigra region of the brain to malfunction and die, creating a shortage of dopamine. Furthermore, coQ10 levels in Parkinson’s patients were 35% lower than in age-matched controls. This deficit of coQ10 caused a significant reduction in the activity of enzyme complexes critical to the mitochondrial function of the brain cells affected by Parkinson’s disease whereas supplementation preserves mitochondrial function.
CoQ10 levels decrease with aging. Depletion is caused by reduced synthesis of coQ10 in the body along with increased oxidation of in the mitochondria. In addition, coQ10 is a strong antioxidant. It is widely distributed in nature and available from food but only in rather small amounts. Therefore, supplementation can be of major benefit. The vitamin niacinamide has a similar beneficial effect on mitochondrial energy production. Furthermore, coQ10 and niacinamide are able to protect mitochondria from damage by toxins.
Other therapies that may provide some protection from the loss of cognitive function in certain patients include Acetyl-L-carnitine, Hydergine (a European medication), and phosphatidylserine (a phospholipid). Additional therapies that may be beneficial in treating the symptoms of PD include the hormones DHEA, NADH and melatonin.
Fish and other seafood are generally beneficial and a recommended food for Parkinson patients. Unfortunately, most species are now polluted with unacceptable levels of mercury, a brain poison. Dr Mercola (www.mercola.com) regards only the following as safe: Croaker, Haddock, Sardines, Summer Flounder and Wild Pacific Salmon. A more detailed selection is available from the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org).
Excitotoxins are taste or flavor enhancers that release glutamate and other brain-active amino acids such as aspartate and cysteine. The best known example is MSG or mono-sodium glutamate. High blood levels can cross the normally protective blood-brain barrier. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is present in the extracellular fluid only in very low concentration. If levels are inappropriately raised then neurons fire abnormally and at higher levels brain cells begin to die. Oxygen deficiency and lack of fuel (hypoglycemia) both interfere with the energy production of brain cells to make them susceptible to damage by these excitotoxins. This may be an important factor in the development of neurological diseases including Parkinson’s disease as Blaylock pointed out in a review article in Medical Sentinel 1999. – See more at: http://www.lifeextensionvitamins.com/noname10.html#sthash.ZgUNbmzP.dpuf
Menu should consists of avocados,eggs,raw walnuts,tomatoes,tuna,olive oil,krill oil,Vit C gummy vitamins,yogurt
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