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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2002;287:832.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Folic acid deficiency could increase the risk for Parkinson disease, according to research from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). In the study, mice fed folate-deficient diets developed severe Parkinsonlike symptoms, which the scientists traced to elevated levels of homocysteine in the brain. They suspect that this excess amino acid damages DNA in the substantia nigra, a brain structure rich with dopamine cells. In mice fed adequate amounts of folic acid, however, dopamine neurons repaired intentionally damaged DNA, counteracting the effects of excess homocysteine.

"It is clear that a deficiency of this vitamin increases toxin-induced damage in the mouse brain," said Mark Mattson, PhD, chief of the NIA's laboratory of neurosciences.

People with Parkinson disease often have low levels of folic acid, but it remains unclear whether this results from the disease process or simple malnourishment. The FDA requires food manufacturers to add folic acid to breads and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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