Smoking 'cuts Parkinson's risk'

Could smoking cigarettes reduce the risk of Parkinson's?

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Tuesday, 10, Jul 2007 08:46

Smokers are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease (PD) in old age, scientists say.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, analysed pooled data from 11 American studies dating between 1960 and 2004 to assess the inverse link between the two.

They confirmed that smokers of all kinds of tobacco – cigarettes, pipes, cigars and even chewed tobacco – were more likely to avoid the condition.

Educational status and sex were not found to affect the results, but race did appear to be factor. The association was much stronger in white and Asian-Americans – perhaps, the study's authors suggest, because PD was less likely to be diagnosed among members of the Hispanic and African-American community.

Although the biochemical basis for the link is unclear, the study's authors said animal studies had indicated that nicotine might have a protective effect on brain cells.

Alternatively, it was suggested, cigarette smoke could change the activity of metabolic enzymes, altering the production of toxic or endogenous metabolites.

"Ultimately, only randomized intervention trials can confirm that some components in tobacco are truly neuroprotective," they concluded.

Many factors can contribute to the development of PD, which can cause trembling, muscle rigidity and difficulty walking and balancing.