Fitness and Freebies
Folate and Parkinson's Disease
Health Tip
Folate may help protect against Parkinson's Disease, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder marked by hand and facial tremors, stiffness in the limbs and slow movement. In Parkinson's disease, the brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter, dopamine, slowly become dysfunctional, degenerate and die. Studies suggest that inadequate consumption of folate affects dompamine-producing cells, which raised damaging levels of homocysteine.
The B vitamin helps regulate your body's levels of homocysteine (high concentrations of this amino acid can up your risk).
Your two-pronged prevention plan:
- Eat a diet rich in high-folate foods like spinach, kale and corn
- Take a daily multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid.
More rich sources of folate are found among the world's healthiest foods and include spinach, asparagus, turnip and mustard greens, beef liver, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, celery, cabbage, zucchini, lentils, and brussels sprouts. Very good sources include squash, cucumber, black beans, pinto beans, and garbanzo beans.