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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : July 10, 2014 5:13 PM IST
The popular spice cinnamon can slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease, a study shows. The discovery can herald a remarkable advance in the treatment of this devastating neurodegenerative disease. 'Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries. The spice can reverse the biomechanical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson's disease,' said Kalipada Pahan, a Floyd A Davis professor of neurology at Illinois-based Rush University.
The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolised in the liver into sodium benzoate. It then enters into the brain, stops the loss of important proteins Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalises neurotransmitter levels and improves motor functions in mice with PD. Understanding how the disease works is important to developing effective drugs that protect the brain and stop the progression of PD.
'Now we need to translate this finding to the clinic and test ground cinnamon in patients with PD,' Pahan added. Cinnamon is also widely used as a food preservative due to its microbiocidal effect. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.
What is Parkinson's disease?
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder and affects nerve cells which are responsible for motor functions of the body. Parkinson's patients have difficulty in carrying out movements at a normal speed. Hence, they take longer to perform even normal day-to-day activities.
Parkinson's disease is found mainly in people over the age of 50 years and prevails in both the sexes. But if you consider the Indian statistics, it is more common in females than in males.
What causes Parkinson's disease?
People with Parkinson's disease suffer loss of nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for releasing a brain chemical or neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is a signalling chemical required for coordination and control of body movements. Once the neurons start dying, the production of dopamine is reduced causing loss of movement control and coordination in people suffering from the condition. But what exactly triggers death of those neurons is still a mystery. Scientists have found out several genes that were responsible for causing the disease in some cases.
Large population studies have indicated that people who have a family member or a relative suffering from the disease have a higher chance of developing the condition themselves. However, this is just an observation and further research on the inheritance aspect of Parkinson's disease is underway.
What are the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease?
In Parkinson's disease the basic characteristic symptoms are those of tremors (trembling or shaking), stiffness, and slowness of movement, these are called motor symptoms. The non-motor symptoms might include difficulties in maintaining posture and balance, soft speech, problems with urinating, slow bowel movements and sleep disturbances. A characteristic of Parkinson's is that the symptoms can change from day to day and sometimes even from hour to hour. Read more about Parkinson's disease Causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
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With inputs from IANS
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