Researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have come up with new data that suggests Parkinson’s, a neurological condition that affects between seven and ten million people around the globe, could be combated with something that’s found on nearly everyone’s spice rack: cinnamon.
According to their recent paper on the subject, which was published in the Journal of Neuro-immune Pharmacology, Parkinson’s patients have been found to be deficient in two proteins, called Parkin and DJ-1, respectively. It’s widely believed that stopping the loss of these two proteins could slow Parkinson’s progression and help manage the symptoms—body tremors and mobility issues, amongst others—both of which cinnamon, apparently, does.
During their study, the Rush scientists gave the household spice to lab mice, where it was then metabolized into sodium benzoate, a compound that we sometimes use as a food preservative. After entering the mice’s brains, the researchers found that it “stops the loss of Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.”
The researchers also found that Ceylon cinnamon seemed to be more effective than Chinese cinnamon, a variant that contains a chemical that could cause liver damage.
According to the study’s lead researcher, Rush neurology professor Kalipada Pahan, cinnamon could be “one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson’s patients.”
“Now we need to translate this finding to the clinic and test ground cinnamon in patients with PD,” said Pahan of the next step in the process. “If these results are replicated in PD patients, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of this devastating neurodegenerative disease.”
Source CNET
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