Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. The exact cause behind the disease is not fully understood, and currently their is no cure, only palliative treatment.
However, many doctors and researchers know of several preventative lifestyle factors that can help reduced one's risk for developing the condition.
A new report in the American Journal of Epidemiology discusses a new finding relating cholesterol levels to reduced risk in women.
The study utulized data from a large study in the Netherlands with more than 6400 participants. Each of the men and women were greater than 55 years in age and were followed for an average of 9-10 years.
The risk for developing Parkinson's disease decreased dramatically as cholesterol went up, but only in women. This trend was not observed for men.
The effect was lasting even after accounting for other variables. To be exact each single increment increase in cholesterol caused a 23 percent drop in Parkinson's risk. The study did not comment on other conditions, such as heart disease, that may develop due to high cholesterol.
The authors state a possible explanation for this relationship may be CoEnzyme Q10, which is often found in higher levels when cholesterol is higher. CoQ10 is a potent antioxidant that has shown success in preventing some changes associated with Parkinson's disease.
This is just an early study that found some relationship, now researchers have to design studies to examine the relationship for a better understanding and to see if the evidence can provide any information about the cause and/or treatment of Parkinson's.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on December 4, 2006 02:18 PM
