Gut Bacteria May Not Make Enough Hydrogen in Parkinson's Disease
- Authors
- Sergej M. Ostojic
- Journal
- Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.tem.2018.02.006
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Serbia
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists think that people with Parkinson's disease have gut bacteria that don't make enough of a special gas called hydrogen, which normally helps protect the brain from damage. They're suggesting that adding this hydrogen gas back in might help slow down or treat Parkinson's disease.
Key Finding
The authors propose that impaired production of hydrogen gas by gut microbiota may be a previously unrecognized link between gut dysbiosis and Parkinson disease pathogenesis.
Summary
This paper proposes a new theory about Parkinson disease: that problems with gut bacteria (dysbiosis) may reduce the amount of hydrogen gas the gut naturally produces, and this reduction could contribute to Parkinson disease development. The authors suggest that because hydrogen gas has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, supplementing with hydrogen might be a potential therapy for this neurodegenerative disease.
Practical Takeaway
This is a theoretical proposal, not a study with experimental results or human trials. While it identifies an interesting potential mechanism connecting gut health to Parkinson disease, there is currently no evidence from this paper that hydrogen supplementation helps treat or prevent Parkinson disease. Further research would be needed to test whether this theory is correct.
Abstract
Dysbiosis of the gut flora accompanies Parkinson disease (PD), yet no specific cause–effect link has been identified so far. The gut microbiota produce molecular hydrogen (H2), a ubiquitous molecule recently recognized as a biologically active gas with antioxidant, antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and signaling properties. Here, we discuss an idea that an impaired production of endogenous H2 by intestinal microbiota might play a role in PD pathogenesis, with supplemental H2 debated as a possible therapy for this progressive neurodegenerative disease.