Omega-3
and -6 fatty acids and vitamin E in the diet could slash the risk of
motor neurone disease (MND) by 60 per cent, say new research from the
Netherlands. According to the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the
disease affects about seven people in every 100,000, with life
expectancy of only two to five years. The disease characterized by the
gradual death of motor neurones in the brain, which then stops muscles
from working. The cause is unknown and there is no cure. The new study,
published on-line in the Journal of Neurology (doi:
10.1136/jnnp.2005.083378), reports that a diet rich in polyunsaturated
fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) and vitamin E could reduce the risk of
developing the disease. The researchers, from the University Medical
Centre, Utrecht, investigated the diets of 132 people with a form of MND
called amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Their dietary habits were
compared to 220 control subjects who did not have the disease. Dietary
habits were evaluated using a validated 104-item food frequency
questionnaire. While energy intake and supplement intake was similar
between the groups, the researchers found that intake of vitamin E and
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was noticeably lower in the ALS
cases, which agreed with the original hypothesis. People whose intake
was more than 32 grams of PUFAs per day had a 60 per cent lower risk of
ALS than those who consumed less than 25 grams per day. No
differentiation between omega-3 and omega-6 was performed by the
researchers. ?This study shows that higher premorbid dietary intake of
PUFAs and vitamin E was associated with a 50 to 60 per cent decreased
risk of developing ALS,? wrote lead author Jan Veldink. The mechanism,
say the researchers, is more than just the nutrients’ individual
benefits. The omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linoleic acid, for example, has
been reported to protect neurones. Docosahexaenioc acid (DHA) is
involved in the membrane of ion channels in the brain, making it easier
for them to change shape and transit electrical signals. Vitamin E, say
the scientists, inhibits lipid peroxidation which leads to oxidative
stress. ?The combined analysis, including the interaction term,
indicates that vitamin E and PUFAs increase their separate protective
effects. Vitamin E may act directly to reduce the risk of ALS as a known
inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, but it could also act indirectly
through inhibition of peroxidation of PUFAs. As a result, a higher level
of PUFAs will be available biologically,? said Veldink.
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Source: NutraIngredients