Progress of Parkinson's Linked to Urate Levels

A review of data collected from 800 people with early stage Parkinson's disease over a 2 year period has shown that the disease’s progression is associated with the levels of urate in the blood. Urate is a powerful antioxidant and a prominent component of spinal fluid, blood, and urine. In the study, those patients with the highest urate levels were half as likely as those with the lowest levels to require medication to treat their Parkinson’s symptoms, and their dopamine-producing neurons remained most intact. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that results in the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine, impairing motor skills and causing speech difficulties.