It is being reported that smoking cigarettes and drinking a lot of coffee have been found to reduce one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
The findings suggest environmental factors could play as great a role as genetics in the development of Parkinson’s, a progressive, neurological disease marked by symptoms such as trembling, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement.
The finding could be useful in pointing toward new directions in treatment since it reinforces earlier research suggesting a connection between the brain chemical dopamine and Parkinson’s.
Dopamine, a message transmitter, is low in patients with Parkinson’s.
Research has shown nicotine and caffeine use increase the level of dopamine production in the brain.
Previous studies have suggested that smokers and coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but this is the first study to look specifically at cigarette smoking and caffeine consumption within families affected by the disease, the American researchers said.
The study found that people with Parkinson’s disease were half as likely to report ever smoking and a third as likely to report current smoking compared with unaffected relatives, the researchers found.
People with Parkinson’s disease were also less likely to drink large amounts of coffee, the researchers found.
Investigator Dr Mark Stacy said,
Smoking and caffeine may modify underlying genetic susceptibilities that exist in families with Parkinson’s disease. But further work is needed to see how this interaction ultimately plays out.
Smoking cigarettes and consuming large amounts of caffeine carry their own risks and should not be taken up in an attempt to avoid developing Parkinson’s disease.
The findings were published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Archives of Neurology. The research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Via : Topix.net