Jim McAfee's Blog Spot

Monday, January 05, 2015

Parkinson's and Vitamin B2

     Researchers in Brazil found that 31 Parkinson's patients they tested were vitamin B2 (riboflavin) deficient. Supplementation of 19 of these for 6 months with 30 milligrams of vitamin B2 3 times a day improved functional motor capacity from 44% of normal to 71% of normal.
Patients were also instructed to avoid red meat which releases hemin, a potential neurotoxin, during the digestive process. One wonders what the results would have been if the entire B complex had been supplemented. Vitamin B2 is known to be essential for the utilization of vitamin B6.
Reference:
Coimbra, C. G., et al, High doses of riboflavin and the elimination of dietary red meat promote the recovery of some motor functions in Parkinson's disease patients, Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 2003; 36(10):1409-1417.

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