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Could “Advanced Probiotics” Soon Treat Parkinson’s Disease?

23-5-2017 < SGT Report 149 249 words
 

by Julie Fidler, Natural Society:


Researchers say they’ve uncovered a link between gut bacteria and the onset of Parkinson’s disease. The findings suggest a new way of treating one of the world’s most debilitating diseases.


Parkinson’s causes a variety of physical changes, especially in the digestive system. Patients often complain of constipation or bloating, trouble swallowing, and indigestion. These symptoms often begin years before patients lose motor control, the hallmark of the disease. [1]



For the study, researchers worked with mouse models of the brain disorder and discovered that changes in gut microbes may play a role in triggering Parkinson’s. The team, led by Sarkis Mazmanian of the California Institute of Technology, transplanted fecal samples from people with Parkinson’s into mice raised in a germ-free setting and found that the rodents’ symptoms worsened. The same did not happen when the mice were injected with fecal matter from people without Parkinson’s.


Mazmanian says:


“What we extrapolate from that is that there is a microbial profile that is different in Parkinson’s. Perhaps those changes are contributing to disease; we’re a long way from proving that’s the case in humans, but at least in mouse models that’s what the data suggest.”



Mazmanian theorizes that breakdown products of the bacteria are toxic and circulate to the brain. There are also many nerve connections between the intestines and the brain, so it’s possible that influencing the nerves in the gut affects nerves in the brain. [2]


Read More @ NaturalSociety.com

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