The Neuro-Protective Lifestyle

Have you heard the news?

A simple OTC (over-the-counter) dietary supplement may hold the key to slowing or even preventing the onset of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Parkinson’s is a devastating movement disorder that progresses as dopamine-producing neurons in the brain slowly die. In a recent study however, Parkinson’s patients with the highest uric acid levels, were the least likely to require prescription medication. No small feat when it comes to Parkinson’s disease.

But what does uric acid have to do with inosine?

Inosine is smack-dab in the middle of the metabolic pathway for the conversion of dietary purines (meat, nutritional yeast, certain vegetables) to uric acid. Supplemental inosine increases blood and cerebral spinal fluid levels of uric acid. While excess uric acid can cause gout in certain susceptible individuals, urate†, the physiologic form of uric acid is nothing but good news.

Here’s why:

1. Urate, (uric acid at normal blood pH) is a powerful antioxidant with more potency than vitamin C.
In fact, uric acid may very well represent a vitamin C substitute since humans are unable to synthesize ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

2. Intravenous inosine has neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties. In fact, inosine is currently being investigated for the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

3. Inosine has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties. You’ll remember that neuroinflammation is the hallmark of most neurodegenerative disorders.

4. Inosine reverses endothelial cell dysfunction. Endothelial cells line our blood vessels and regulate blood flow. Endothelial cell dysfunction is common in diabetics and people with heart disease and the metabolic syndrome. Overly reactive blood vessels will constrict when they should relax contributing to heart attack and stroke.

5. Because of it’s unique chemical structure, inosine possesses anti-arrhythmic (arrhythmia prevention) properties. Think atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia etc.

6. Inosine readily enters both cardiac and skeletal muscle ramping up ATP production and increasing the transfer of oxygen from red blood cells to heart and skeletal muscle.

7. One recent study concluded that: “inosine should be considered as a potential preventative therapy in humans susceptible to developing Type 1 diabetes and as a possible antirejection therapy for transplant recipients”.

8. In another study, inosine prevented the onset of colitis in an experimental form of the disease.

9. When mice were exposed to gamma radiation, inosine prevented oxidative damage to their DNA and dramatically decreased free-radical production.

10. Inosine protects against multiple environmental toxins such as chlorinated solvents, fluorocarbons and methylene chloride poisoning in particular.

†The Michael J. Fox Foundation announced a $5.6-million award to drive a Phase 2 clinical trial to investigate the potential of inosine — a naturally occurring chemical that gives rise to urate in the body — to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

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