Omega 3, Vitamin D & Parkinsons
Two nutritional supplements appear to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. In one study, those with the highest vitamin D levels showed a 65 percent lower risk of the disease. Also, some research suggests that a regular intake of omega-3 fatty acids, the type of fat found in oily fish such as sardines and salmon, also may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s. However, there is still no known way to prevent Parkinson’s disease.
Hope for Parkinson’s Patients?
A new and very small and preliminary study indicates that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may be able to lessen the motor, or walking, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Previous studies found motor function improvement with SCS in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and this prompted the researchers to test SCS on a single 82-year-old male with PD. Low frequency stimulation produced a noticeable worsening of locomotion symptoms; but when high-frequency stimulation was employed, symptoms and walking time greatly improved. The effect was then replicated in a second human patient.
The study is too small to draw hard conclusions but suggests an area of future research. The lead author presented his findings June 14 at the biennial meeting of the American Society for Stereotactical and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) in New York City.