TUESDAY, April 15, (News Locale) - Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most debilitating motor system diseases to affect man. While there is no cure or treatment for the condition, researchers are now saying that high levels of a natural substance called urate may be able to retard the progression of the disease. 

The downside of this finding by researchers at MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease and Harvard School of Public Health is that it seems to apply only to men. The study involved 800 men who were recently diagnosed with Parkinson's and lasted for two years.

The researchers report in the latest issue of he Archives of Neurology that men with high urate levels in their blood at the start of the study did not need to start Parkinson's drugs as early as those with low levels of the salt.

Urate is a salt that is a natural part of the blood and is derived from uric acid. This is the first study to link increased levels of the salt to reduced risk of Parkinson's progression. One thing to note is that high urate levels cause gout and kidney stones.

In this study however urate seemed to be beneficial as brain scans on those with high levels showed that they had lost fewer dopamine-producing cells as compared with patients who had low urate levels.

"From what we know now, urate elevation should only be attempted in the context of a closely monitored clinical trial, in which potential benefits and risks are carefully balanced," said a statement issued by lead study author Dr Michael Schwarzschild.

Parkinson's disease is usually gradual in progression. Caused by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells, Parkinson's traditionally affects people aged over 50 years. The disease starts as fine resting tremors in the hands and limbs, jaw and the neck. Slowly the muscles of the limbs become stiff and impair movement. In late stage Parkinson's makes it difficult for people to even walk or talk.

Currently drugs available to treat Parkinson's only treat the symptoms and not the disease. It is estimated that there are 1 million Parkinson's patients in the United States. Pesticides have also been linked to the disease.

The results of the above study provide hope that supplements like inosine, which is metabolized into urate in the body, may be able to stop or delay the progression of this neurodegenerative disease.

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