Superstar Duo FIGHTS Parkinson’s Disease!

Parkinson’s is another disease that remains a mystery to the medical community.

They know what it IS (the loss of dopaminergic cells in your brain).

Yet they don’t know exactly why someone develops it (while someone else doesn’t), and they definitely don’t know how to cure it.

But luckily, studies are starting to trickle in that give us clues as to how to prevent it.

The latest is a study published in the journal Neurology that reveals a superstar duo that fights off Parkinson’s.

It is believed that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. And it does so by harming your dopaminergic cells.

With that in mind, researchers wanted to test whether antioxidants (which fight oxidative stress) would help protect against oxidative damage to brain cells.

They analyzed data that included more than 40,000 people who answered a 36-page questionnaire about lifestyle and medical history. They followed them an average of 17 years—plenty of time to see if Parkinson’s would develop.

During that time, they estimated the total dietary intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene. They also calculated physical activity and BMI.

(After all, as we learned last week, being overweight can cancel out some of the protective effects of vitamin D. Read more about that here.)

Here’s what they found.

• People with the highest intake of vitamin E had a 32 percent reduced risk of Parkinson’s.
• People with the highest intake of vitamin C had a 32 percent reduced risk of Parkinson’s.
• People with the highest intake of BOTH vitamins E and C had a 38 percent reduced risk.

Additionally, vitamin E seemed to be especially protective for overweight or obese individuals, with those consuming the most experiencing a 56 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s.

(They did not find a connection between beta carotene and lower risk.)

This wasn’t a clinical trial, so it doesn’t establish definitive cause and effect. But it does highlight, once again, that specific nutrients have protective roles in your body.

You need vitamin E and C for plenty of other functions in your body. Their potential to help prevent Parkinson’s is yet another to add to the list.

P.S. Is Parkinson’s disease a concern for you or a loved one? If so, click here and learn about the breakthrough discovery that could STOP Parkinson’s disease in its tracks.