Prevent Parkinson’s Disease with Peppers

It is sad to see someone who used to be full of vitality now walking with slow shuffling steps or dealing with the uncontrollable tremors of Parkinson’s disease. While there are natural treatments that can slow and/or improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, we are much better off focusing on prevention. A few new studies are pointing to some easy steps to help reduce your chance of getting this illness. It has long been observed that people who use tobacco have lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, but who wants to adopt all of the other health concerns that come with smoking. Fortunately, a small amount of nicotine is found in the nightshade vegetables, which include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, and bell peppers and are in the same plant family as tobacco. It has been shown that the neuroprotective effects of nicotine occur with very low doses and these vegetables seem to have enough to provide that protection. A recent study demonstrated that people who regularly consumed these vegetables, particularly peppers, reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by 19%. The effect was the greatest in people who had never smoked with a risk reduction of 31%. Of course, a diet high in diverse amounts of veggies and fruits is generally recommended for the prevention of many diseases, but don’t forget the humble bell pepper.

A review of other studies on Parkinson’s disease prevention gives us still more reason to make sure we are getting the optimal level of nutrients and working to reduce our exposure to toxins. Optimal vitamin D levels have been linked to the prevention of many diseases including breast cancer as I discussed in last week’s blog. Again in the case of Parkinson’s, there is an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and the risk of this illness. Also, a small study confirmed that vitamin D supplementation helped slow the deterioration of symptoms in Parkinson’s patients with specific genetic markers. It is also important to consider antioxidant intake. Some studies have shown that patients with Parkinson’s disease have reduced antioxidant capacity as demonstrated by lower vitamin E and glutathione peroxidase levels. Glutathione peroxidase is one of the most important detoxification enzymes in the body, which uses glutathione to neutralize toxins. This study also revealed that the severity of the Parkinson’s disease correlated to the degree of oxidative stress. This supports many observational studies showing higher rates of Parkinson’s disease among people exposed to different chemicals in paper mills, orchards, and even from well water. Toxins are not the only contributing factor to Parkinson’s disease, but it appears that we can help prevent this and many other diseases by reducing our exposure to toxins and increasing our antioxidants.