A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina, led by Dr. Xuemei Huang, has found what appears to be a link between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and Parkinson's Disease.
Cholesterol is the fatty-like substance that builds up along the walls of your arteries. LDL, also known as “bad cholesterol,” is the main source of that cholesterol buildup.
In a study of 124 participants, the researchers found that patients with low levels of LDL cholesterol were more than three and a half times as likely to develop Parkinson's Disease as patients with higher LDL levels. Their conclusion opened up the question as to whether or not “statins,” a group of LDL cholesterol lowering drugs, may also be a risk factor for the disease.
Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic neurological condition that affects a small area of cells in the mid brain known as the substantia nigra. It is named for Dr. James Parkinson, a London doctor who first described the condition in 1817. The progress of the disease is slow because the cells of the substantia nigra degenerate over time. As they degenerate, they reduce their production of a chemical known as "dopamine."
Source:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243812,00.html
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