Uric Acid

Purines are compounds that occur naturally in some foods. As the body breaks down purines, it produces uric acid. Higher Uric acid levels have been associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.

We know that oxidative stress is proposed to play a critical role in the development of Parkinson’s Disease. Research shows that Uric Acid, as an important physiological antioxidant, is identified a molecular predictor associated with a decreased risk and a slower disease progression for Parkinson’s and potential neuroprotectant of Parkinson’s. It has also found that lower levels of Uric Acid tend to be prevalent in people with Parkinson’s. This has an influence on morbidity, severity and progression Parkinson’s Disease.

Many seafood and shellfish appear to increase Uric Acid including anchovies, sardines, mackerel, scallops, herring, mussels, codfish, trout, and haddock. Eating seafood is recommended for good health, especially for those with Parkinson’s. Some meats such as bacon, turkey, veal, venison, liver and beef kidney also tend to increase Uric Acid. However, consuming too much purine through diet or having too much Uric Acid in your blood canresult in gout, a disease that causes painful joints.

Manipulation of Uric Acid or its precursors’ concentration could be effective to treat or prevent PD.

Current diagnosis of Parkinson’s mainly depends on clinical manifestation and lack of objective biochemical markers, which is unwelcoming to early diagnosis. What is extremely fascinating is that for the close association of Uric Acid and Parkinson’s, Uric Acid concentration (of serum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, etc.) may be an eligible biomarker in diagnosis and prognosis of early Parkinson’s Disease. However, as a biomarker of Parkinson’s, Uric Acid is not specific enough on its own to distinguish Parkinson’s and non-Parkinson’s diagnoses. Nevertheless, it may be combined with other markers, such asimaging, hyposmia, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), and α-synuclein, to form a more useful composite indicator of Parkinson’s diagnoses in early parkinsonism.