Vitamine B6 ter voorkoming van de ziekte van Parkinson.*
Uit een 10 jarige Nederlandse studie door de Erasmus universiteit blijkt dat de kans op het ontstaan van de ziekte van Parkinson ruim 50% minder wordt als men voldoende vitamine B6 in de voeding heeft. Foliumzuur en vitamine B12 leken in deze studie geen effect te hebben alhoewel daarvoor verder onderzoek nodig is. Vitamine B6 beschermt niet door de homocysteïne waarde aan te pakken doch door hersencellen te beschermen tegen oxidatieschade door vrije radicalen.
A
higher dietary intake of vitamin B6 may decrease the risk of Parkinson's disease,
a study suggests.
Among
more than 5,000 people, Dutch researchers found those who reported taking in the
most vitamin B6 were about half as likely as those who consumed the least to
develop Parkinson's disease.
Vitamin
B6 is essential for metabolism of protein and proper immune and nervous system
function, and is found in both meat and vegetables.
There
is evidence that high levels of the amino acid homocysteine could cause damage
to brain cells. To see whether higher intake of folate and vitamins B6 and B12,
which can reduce homocysteine levels, would also reduce Parkinson's risk,
researchers followed 5,289 men and women aged 55 and older who were free of the
disease at the study's outset.
During
nearly 10 years of follow up, 72 people developed Parkinson's disease, Dr.
Monique M. B. Breteler of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and colleagues
report in the journal Neurology.
The
researchers found no association between consumption of B12 or folic acid and
risk of developing the disease. However, the more B6 people consumed, the lower
their risk.
Those
in the highest third of vitamin B6 intake were 54 percent less likely to develop
the disease compared to those in the lowest third. A closer look suggested that
this relationship was only statistically significant for smokers.
The
findings suggest that the nutrient could lower Parkinson's disease risk not by
affecting homocysteine levels but by protecting brain cells from damage caused
by harmful by-products of metabolism known as free radicals, Breteler and her
team propose. They note that several studies have shown that smoking actually
cuts Parkinson's risk, possibly due to brain-cell-protecting properties of
nicotine.
The
study doesn't rule out the possibility that B12 and folate could also be
protective, the researchers point out. To provide a more definitive answer, they
add, studies must be conducted that look at levels of the nutrients in the blood,
which is a more sensitive indicator of their effects.
(Aug. 2006) (Opm. Bij het ABC kunt u zien dat voeding met de meeste vitamine B6 zijn o.a. dadels, zonnebloempitten, pistachenoten, aardappelen, asperges, kool, tomaten, zalm, kip, kalkoen enz..)