Natural Anti-Oxidant Provides Clues for Parkinson’s Treatment

A naturally occurring anti-oxidant in humans has lead researchers to believe there is a link between serum urate levels and the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Urate, once believed to be a useless a by-product of metabolism, is now thought to play “an important role in keeping us healthy,” according to Alberto Ascherio, MD, of the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. The study is published in the April 14 Online First issue of the Archives of Neurology. Read more

Urate Level Key to Parkinson’s Progression

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have discovered that the rate at which Parkinson’s disease progresses is a reflection of the level of urate in the bloodstream.  It seems the higher the level of urate, a naturally occurring antioxidant, the slower the progression of the disease. Read more