Regular Exercising May Slow Down Parkinson’s Disease; Try This Spice Too!

Physical activity or regular exercising has been known to treat various health issues. Looks like it may also slow down Parkinson's disease. According to a study published in the Journal PLOS ONE, exercise can stop accumulation of a harmful protein that is believed to play a key role in the brain cell death associated with Parkinson's disease. Engaging in exercise on a running wheel can stop the accumulation of the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein in brain cells. Parkinson's disease basically causes progressive loss of muscle control, trembling, stiffness, slowness and impaired imbalance.

"Our experiments show that exercise can get to the heart of the problem in Parkinson's disease," said one of the researchers Curt Freed, Professor at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the US. "People with Parkinson's who exercise are likely able to keep their brain cells from dying," Freed added.

The researchers found that in the running mice, exercise increased brain and muscle expression of a key protective gene called DJ-1, compared to control transgenic animals that had locked running wheels. "Our results indicate that exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease by turning on the protective gene DJ-1 and thereby preventing abnormal protein accumulation in brain," Freed said.

Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of brain cells that make a critical chemical called dopamine. Without dopamine, the voluntary movement is impossible.

While one cannot completely treat Parkinson's disease, you can surely slow it down with exercise and adding cinnamon to your daily diet. Cinnamon is not only a commonly used kitchen spice but also a healing ingredient that has been known to cure a lot of health problems. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, cinnamon may also be capable of slowing down the progression of Parkinson's disease.

The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized in the liver into sodium benzoate. It then enters in to the brain, stops the loss of important proteins Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, neutralizes neurotransmitter levels and further improves motor functions in mice with PD.

With Inputs from IANS