April 27, 2018

New research finds fish could prevent Parkinson's disease

A new study further giving credence to the benefits of fish to neurological health has given added boost to the seafood sector.

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has shown that the protein parvalbumin, which is very commonly found in many fish species, may be contributing to improved long-term cognitive health, even preventing Parkinson's disease.

Fish has long been considered a healthy food, linked to improved long-term cognitive health, but the reasons for this have been unclear. The fatty acids mega-3 and -6, which are commonly found in fish, are often assumed to be responsible, and are commonly marketed in this fashion. However, the scientific research regarding this topic has drawn mixed conclusions.

The Chalmers researchers have discovered that parvalbumin prevents the formation of a particular human protein called alpha-synuclein, which is closely associated with Parkinson's disease.

They said parvalbumin effectively "scavenges" the alpha-synuclein proteins, using them for its own purposes, thus preventing them from forming their own potentially harmful amyloids later on. Amyloids are aggregates of proteins, which have been linked to the development of various diseases.

"Parvalbumin collects up the 'Parkinson's protein' and actually prevents it from aggregating, simply by aggregating itself first," explained Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, professor and head of the chemical biology division at Chalmers, and lead author of the study.

The study said that since the parvalbumin protein is highly abundant in certain fish species-such as herring, cod, carp and redfish including sockeye salmon and red snapper-increasing the amount of fish in our diet may be a simple way to fight off Parkinson's disease. The levels of parvalbumin can also vary greatly throughout the year.

"Fish is normally a lot more nutritious at the end of the summer, because of increased metabolic activity. Levels of parvalbumin are much higher in fish after they have had a lot of sun, so it could be worthwhile increasing consumption during autumn," said Nathalie Scheers, assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, and researcher on the study.

The research team is keen to do further research and see if their discovery relating to Parkinson's disease has implications for other neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, ALS and Huntington's disease.-Rick Alberto