And now a new study published in
Cell strongly links gut bacteria to Parkinsons disease.
The BBC says:
Quote:
Researchers used mice genetically programmed to develop Parkinson's as they produced very high levels of the protein alpha-synuclein, which is associated with damage in the brains of Parkinson's patients.
But only those animals with bacteria in their stomachs developed symptoms. Sterile mice remained healthy.
Further tests showed transplanting bacteria from Parkinson's patients to mice led to more symptoms than bacteria taken from healthy people.
Dr Timothy Sampson, one of the researchers at the California Institute of Technology, said: "This was the 'eureka' moment, the mice were genetically identical, the only difference was the presence or absence of gut microbiota.
"Now we were quite confident that gut bacteria regulate, and are even required for, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
The scientists believe the bacteria are releasing chemicals that over-activate parts of the brain, leading to damage.
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