Stomach hormone can boost resistance to Parkinson's disease

Ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach has been linked to a resistance to Parkinson’s disease. The research for this theory was brought about by Dr. Tamas Horvath at the Yale University School of Medicine. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder where the dopamine neurons in the substansia nigra begin to die off. As this continues, symptoms increase to where the patients can no longer walk, move, eat, and have other body functions that altered. Ghrelin targets the hypothalamus and affects the appetite, food intake, and how the body deposits fat. Other studies have shown that body mass index, stored fat, and diabetes are linked to Parkinson’s disease.

Ghrelin is shown to protect the neurons that make the dopamine. Because the hormone is made in the stomach circulates normally in the bloodstream, so it could easily be used to boost resistance. This research, sponsored by the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, was engineered by giving mice extra ghrelin, while another group of mice lacked the hormone. When compared, the group of mice with the lack had a significant decrease in dopamine. This meant that the idea that ghrelin could be a new therapeutic strategy to fight neurodegeneration, loss of appetite, and body weight changes associated with Parkinson’s disease. This research situation is believed to be applicable also in humans because of the ghrelin system is preserved in various species. The research has now moved toward human testing in the areas of ghrelin levels in humans related to those with Parkinson’s disease.

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