For long, researchers have posited that a link between our brain and gut contributes to the onset of Parkinson’s disease. Now a new study suggests that B-vitamin supplements could address some of the medical needs of Parkinson’s disease patients after their research linked specific vitamin deficiencies to the disease.
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, led by Hiroshi Nishiwaki, who conducted the study, suggest that using supplements containing biotin and riboflavin could help in slowing PD progression or at least providing symptomatic relief to patients.
Currently, PD doesn’t have a known cure despite approximately 10 million individuals living with the condition globally. The symptoms of the disease usually start as sleep problems and constipation, and this happens about two decades before dementia and muscle control problems start manifesting. Patients diagnosed with PD also exhibit alterations in their gut microbiome many years prior to PD symptoms starting to show.
For their study, the team obtained fecal samples from 73 healthy subjects and 74 patients diagnosed with PD. These study participants were all from Japan. The researchers analyzed those samples and then compared this data to data taken from Taiwan, China, the U.S. and Germany.
Their analysis revealed that gut microbe alterations in PD patients coincided with reductions in biotin and riboflavin within those patients. The team then showed that the reduction in these vitamins resulted in low levels of polyamines and short-chain fatty acids, both of which are vital in the creation of the mucus layer we have in our intestines.
Nishiwaki explains that reductions in SCFAs and polyamines cause the mucus layer within the intestinal lining to become thin, which then makes the intestine more permeable. These occurrences have been observed in people with Parkinson’s.
The team posits that as the intestinal lining weakens, the nervous system within the intestines gets more exposed to toxins like pesticides, cleaning chemicals and herbicides. As these toxins accumulate, the production of a-synuclein fibrils (molecules that accumulate within the cells that make dopamine within the brain) increases. Inflammation within the nervous system then becomes heightened, and that gradually worsens the motor and dementia symptoms common in PD patients.
A study conducted in 2003 found that ingesting riboflavin in high doses could be beneficial in restoring some motor function in PD patients who stopped consuming red meat. Nishiwaki and his study team therefore argue that taking vitamin B in high doses could thus be able to forestall some of the damage resulting from Parkinson’s.
However, many things happen to trigger PD development and progression, so it is possible that not all patients could benefit from B-vitamin supplementation. A thorough assessment of fecal or gut microbiota matter could help in identifying those most likely to benefit from these supplements.
For such a complicated condition like PD, every helpful measure should be explored and more need to be uncovered. Enterprises like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are making progress in developing viable treatments for Parkinson’s disease. The success of their efforts could provide needed relief to those currently hoping for an efficacious treatment.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN
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