Parkinson's disease is a motor system disorder that usually appears in people aged over 60 years. It results from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells.
The main symptoms are tremor or trembling, rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and body, slowness of movement and impaired balance and coordination. Symptoms start gradually but worsen over time, making it difficult to carry out everyday tasks.
There is currently no cure, but treatments can be given that replace or mimic the role of dopamine in the brain, providing relief from the symptoms.
Urate, or uric acid, is a powerful antioxidant and contributes to approximately 60% of the free radical scavenging activity in the blood.
Urate forms when chemicals known as purines are broken down in the body. Previous studies have suggested that it could play a protective role within brain cells.
Dr. Xiang Gao, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University, and colleagues looked at 90,214 participants in three large, ongoing studies.
