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What is the story
A recent study has found that consuming the seaweed Ecklonia cava may slow or even prevent Parkinson’s disease.
The research focused on the antioxidants in this type of seaweed, which is often used in Asian cuisine.
It is believed that these antioxidants protect our neurons from harmful free radicals and thus prevent the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease: Neurological disease with no known cure
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that affects the nervous system and causes symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulty moving.
This condition occurs when neurons in the brain responsible for producing dopamine, a chemical critical for controlling movement, begin to degenerate.
Although Parkinson’s disease is not immediately fatal, it can cause serious complications that can lead to death.
There is currently no known cure for this disease.
Dietary antioxidants and their role in preventing Parkinson’s disease
Previous studies have found a link between dietary antioxidants and the prevention of Parkinson’s disease.
For example, resveratrol – which is found in many plants and fruits such as red grapes, berries and peanuts – has been shown to protect dopamine-producing neurons from dying in several mouse models of Parkinson’s disease.
Other substances such as ellagic acid, alpha-lipoic acid and myrtenal also showed improvements in learning ability, memory performance and neuromuscular coordination in these models.
The role of antioxidants in the fight against free radicals
Our bodies produce harmful free radicals in response to environmental factors such as ultraviolet (UV) rays and air pollution. These are also a natural byproduct of normal cellular processes.
Antioxidants act as a protective mechanism and protect cells from damage caused by these free radicals.
Our bodies naturally produce antioxidants, but certain foods like Ecklonia cava are rich in them and can supplement our naturally produced antioxidants to fight free radical damage.
Japanese study examines the potential of Ecklonia cava in Parkinson’s prevention
In a recent Japanese study, researchers triggered Parkinson’s disease in mice using the pesticide rotenone.
After inducing the disease, they fed some mice antioxidants from Ecklonia cava and others normal food.
The results showed that the dopamine-producing neurons in the brains of mice fed these antioxidants appeared to be protected.
In addition, these mice showed fewer Parkinson’s symptoms than the mice with a normal diet.
Antioxidants from Ecklonia Cava show promising results in laboratory tests
The researchers also studied the effects of these antioxidants on laboratory-grown cells exposed to rotenone, which increases the production of free radicals and thus leads to cell death.
They discovered that these antioxidants reduced the production of free radicals in cells caused by rotenone, thus preventing cell death.
This finding suggests that polyphenols from Ecklonia cava – plant compounds with antioxidant properties – could be used to develop new treatments and prevention methods for Parkinson’s disease.
The transfer of results from animal models to humans remains a challenge
Despite promising results from animal models and cells, it must be noted that these findings are not always directly transferable to humans.
This is due to differences in brain structure and function between animals and humans, as well as the complexity of human cells.
Parkinson’s disease affects the entire brain and body over many years and involves multiple cell types and interactions – a complexity that is often overlooked in cellular models.
