Iron Imbalance Linked to Parkinson's

Iron Imbalance Linked to Parkinson's

Each year, more than 1 million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative condition affecting movement and balance.

The chances of developing this disease increases with dietary iron imbalances, which negatively affect healthy cells, spurring a reaction of cellular events in the brain. Although too little iron can pose a problem, too much iron is a much bigger concern.

Researchers conducted experiments where mice were fed varying amounts of iron. This was done in order to discover the levels that triggered or sped up symptoms linked to Parkinson’s disease, such as tremors and balance problems. High levels of iron not only prompted Parkinson’s-like symptoms in healthy mice, but also led to the decline and death in those mice already diagnosed with the disease.

However, when researchers tested low levels of iron on the mice they discovered mixed results. Although low levels delayed the onset and slowed progress of the disease in high risk and infected mice, healthy mice experienced reverse effects.

It seemed that iron deficiencies in healthy mice led to decreasing levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial to relaying brain messages that help control movement and balance. Researchers concluded that iron deficiency, as well as toxicity, lead to dopamine shortages, which in turn are responsible for the onset of Parkinson’s disease.

Some natural dietary sources containing iron include:

* Red meats * Dried fruits * Dark leafy greens * Tofu * Cooked dried beans * Wheat germ

EurekAlert October 12, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

If you have had a problem with either too much or too little iron, I recommend getting into the habit of measuring your iron levels on a regular basis.

Generally, most men have too much iron, while most women don’t have enough.

The reason most men have a problem with too much iron is because iron is not readily excreted through the body's usual excretory routes of urine, bile and sweat; rather, the primary way in which iron is lost is through the shedding of cells from the skin or gastrointestinal tract or through blood loss, as in menstrual blood loss or chronic or acute hemorrhage.

After a woman stops menstruating it becomes very important to monitor for excess iron levels, as processed foods that are fortified with iron and any multivitamins with iron will tend to contribute to iron overload.

When excess iron is present, the body’s normal antibacterial mechanisms become severely compromised. Excess iron can also create massive amounts of free radicals.

If your levels are too high – above 100 – it is very important that you donate your blood. The higher your level the more frequently you should donate your blood. If it is from 100 - 150, once every six months should work fine. If it is more than 300, you will want to donate at least every two months and possibly more frequently if you can tolerate it. Donating your blood is an amazingly effective and inexpensive solution for this problem. If for some reason the blood donor center is unable to accept your blood for donation you can obtain a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy.

If your ferritin level is above 250 you will want to consider taking IP6 or phytic acid when you eat red meat as this will help bind the iron and prevent you from absorbing it.

On the other hand, if your iron levels are 15 or even 20, you can consider iron replacement. The best form of iron replacement would be healthy red meat.

However, if you are a person who eats a steak and it sits like a brick in your stomach, then take this as a clue that you are not likely to tolerate red meat very well, probably because of your metabolic type, and you should likely take an iron replacement.

Thus, whether you are dealing with high or low iron levels, it is always important to measure your levels, as it is key to achieve optimal health.

The best way to determine your iron levels is through a measure of serum ferritin level in conjunction with total iron binding level. Not only is this an inexpensive solution, but also it doesn't require any prescription.

Consuming too much iron and manganese may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study.

People who consumed high levels of iron and manganese, such as those who were taking more than one multivitamin or a multivitamin and an iron supplement, were almost twice as likely to develop the disease as people who consumed lower levels.

Iron and manganese can both be a neurotoxin when taken in high amounts, researchers said.

The study involved 250 people with Parkinson's disease and 388 similar people who did not have the disease. Researchers compared the groups and asked them about what foods and supplements they consumed.

Those who had the highest levels of dietary iron were 1.7 times more likely to have developed Parkinson's than people who consumed the least iron, researchers said.

Further, people who consumed higher than normal levels of both iron and manganese were 1.9 times more likely to have developed Parkinson’s as people who consumed lower levels.

Those who consumed above-average levels of iron and took a multivitamin or iron supplement daily were about twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s than people who consumed below-average levels of iron and did not usually take supplements.

Iron and manganese can contribute to oxidative stress, which results when cells release toxic substances called free radicals as part of normal energy consumption and metabolism.

Oxidative stress may cause brain cells that produce dopamine--the same cells that are affected by Parkinson's disease--to deteriorate.

Foods such as spinach, legumes, nuts and whole grains are rich in both iron and manganese. Red meat and poultry contain a lot of iron.

Researchers pointed out that the benefits of eating these foods outweigh the risks of Parkinson’s disease and noted that people shouldn’t eliminate these minerals from their diets. We need iron and manganese, although a lot is not necessarily better, researchers said.

Parkinson's disease is caused by the loss of neurons that produce dopamine, which is involved in movement. The condition causes tremors, muscle rigidity and movement problems.

Neurology June 10, 2003;60:1761-1766 Dr. Mercola's Comment:

While iron is a necessary part of staying healthy, too much iron can be devastating. Aside from the excess iron that can result from iron supplements, iron overload, or hemochromatosis, is actually the most common inherited disease. You can find out all the technical details from reading my article on how to diagnose iron overload below. In hereditary hemochromatosis deposits of iron appear in practically every major organ, particularly the liver, pancreas and heart, resulting in complete and widespread organ failure.

Further, iron has been known to be associated with infection for 30 years. When excess iron is present, the body’s normal antibacterial mechanisms become severely compromised. Excess iron can also create massive amounts of free radicals.

If you were to listen to traditional medicine the only solution for iron overload is to donate a pint of blood every two weeks. This is not a very effective solution and may require many years before it works as up to 50 therapeutic phlebotomies may be necessary.

Measuring iron levels is a very important part of optimizing your health, especially for men and postmenopausal women since excess iron is most common among these groups. However, simply measuring serum iron is a poor way to do this because frequently the serum iron will be normal. The most useful of the indirect measures of iron status in the body is through a measure of the serum ferritin level in conjunction with a total iron binding level.

If you find elevated serum ferritin levels, you do not have to perform therapeutic phlebotomies. A simple extract from rice bran called phytic acid, or IP6, can serve as a very effective form of iron chelation that is non-toxic, inexpensive and can be done without a prescription.

Tsuno Food & Rice Company of Wakayama, Japan is the only manufacturer of IP6 in the world; any brand you purchase would come from this company. Since it is all the same product, the least expensive brand is probably the best one to choose, and Jarrow seems to have the best prices.

Manganese is similar to iron in that it can be harmful at excessive levels. High amounts of manganese down regulates serotonin and dopamine and high levels of manganese are often found in learning disabled or violent individuals. Although it has the potential to create major problems, very little attention is paid to manganese toxicity by the medical community.