Parkinson’s Disease is a horrible condition that impacts millions of people, and their families, worldwide. A new study was published in npj Parkinson’s Disease that shows that the link between gut health and the brain of people with Parkinson’s may be very strong. This theory has been around for some time now, but the study has helped to add data supporting it.

Specifically, it identified guy microbes that seem to be involved with this link, and found that when they are at lower levels, the patient generally has reduced riboflavin (vitamin B2) and biotin (vitamin B7).

The researchers of the study suggest that simply providing a B vitamin supplement to people could have significant benefits. Hiroshi Nishiwaki is a Nagoya University medical researcher, and when this study was published, he said:

“Supplementation therapy targeting riboflavin and biotin holds promise as a potential therapeutic avenue for alleviating PD symptoms and slowing disease progression.”

It is known that some symptoms of Parkinson’s can start as far as 20 years prior there is any measurable loss of muscle control or mental decline. The earliest symptoms linked to this disease include constipation and sleep problems, both of which are also commonly associated with gut health issues such as the ones found in the study.

The study involved 94 Parkinson’s Disease patient and 73 relatively healthy control patients in Japan. The team also compared their results with available data from patients from China, Taiwan, Germany, and the US. Their findings showed that the reduced B vitamins was linked to a lowering of short-chain fatty acids and polyamines, which are the molecules that make a good mucus layer in the intestines. Nishiwaki explained why this is important:

“Deficiencies in polyamines and SCFAs could lead to thinning of the intestinal mucus layer, increasing intestinal permeability, both of which have been observed in Parkinson’s disease.”

This reduced protective layer may expose the nervous system to a higher amount of the various toxins that people experience on a daily basis. That chronic exposure to the elevated toxin levels could, it is speculated, lead to Parkinson’s over the course of decades.

If the data in this study is confirmed, it could lead to simple preventative care for millions of people around the world. Testing one’s microbiome is relatively easy with a guy microbiota analysis or fecal metabolite analysis. Those who are deficient in the necessary microbes could be given a vitamin B supplement to make up for it, or take steps to improve the health of their microbiome directly.

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