Omega-3s to combat Parkinson's disease

Canadian scientists have found that an Omega-3-rich diet can help protect mice from Parkinson's disease.

 

Omega-3s could have a protective effect against Parkinson's disease –that's what the results of a mouse-based study carried out by Canadian researchers from Laval University would seem to suggest.

 

Parkinson's disease is caused by the progressive death of certain neurons that play a part in muscle coordination and movement. The symptoms? Trembling, stiff limbs and balance problems. The illness generally occurs after the age of 60 and according to WHO statistics affects some 4 million people around the world.

 

Frédéric Calon and his team worked with two groups of mice, feeding one group a diet that was rich in Omega-3-type fatty acids, and feeding the other group a normal diet. They then artificially induced the symptoms of Parkinson's disease by injecting a toxic product capable of reducing dopamine secretion in the neurones that are responsible for causing this disease.

 

Results: the mice fed on Omega-3s resisted the effects of the toxic product that was supposed to trigger Parkinson's disease.

 

How can these results be explained? The researchers think that this protective effect could well be linked to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a fatty acid belonging to the Omega-3 family. By enriching the mice's brains, the DHA would appear to replace the Omega-6-type fatty acids.

 

“This experiment demonstrates both the importance of diet on the brain's fatty acid composition and the brain's natural inclination for Omega-3 fatty acids", explains Frédéric Calon. The researcher believes that those with an Omega-6-rich brain are more vulnerable to Parkison's disease than those with an Omega-3-rich brain.
 
The researcher points out that to have an optimal fatty acid intake, the Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio should be 4/1. And yet Western diets supply 20 times more Omega-6s than Omega-3s.

 

“In the United States, it is estimated that the average intake of DHA is between 60 and 80mg per day, while experts recommend a daily minimum of 250mg, the researcher goes on to say. Our results suggest that this DHA deficiency is a risk factor for developing Parkinson's disease, and that we would benefit from evaluating Omega 3s' potential for preventing and treating this disease in humans.”

 

But why wait for the results of future studies to start improving your fatty acid intake and enriching your brain? Indulge in fatty fish, rape seed oil, linseed oil or nut oil, which all contain large quantities of Omega-3, and ease up on other sources of fat. Your arteries will be given a real boost, as will your morale.
 
Véronique Molénat
 

Calon F., Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), April 2008.

 

Source: LaNutrition.fr, le 29/11/2007