Professor Robert Abbott of the Shiga University of Medical Science in Otsu, Japan, and his colleagues published the results of a study 229 Japanese American men living in Hawaii participated in. The men provided data for the study, including the amount of milk they drank. After they died they donated their brains for science.
The conclusion is that the men who drank more than 500 millilitres of milk per day had the least braincells in the substantia nigra part of the brains. This is the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's. It also showed that residues of heptachlor was found in nine out of ten of the men who drank milk. This was 63.4 percent for men who didn't drink milk.
It is known that the milk in the island group was polluted with the crop protection agent, the substances probably got into the milk through the cattle fodder. In the 80's high doses of the substance were found in milk and groundwater. Heptachlor was used a lot in the pineapple cultivation back then.
The researchers point out there there is no direct cause of the development of Parkinson's shown. The study only shows a relationship. "The potential link between milk consumption, heptachlor and the development of Parkinson's must be studied further," the study concludes.
The study can contribute to more knowledge about the development of the disease. Various different studies show that there is no clear genetic link, so external factors may play a crucial role. According to the American Parkinson's Disease Foundation it is unclear in 85 percent of the patients why the disease developed.
Click here to read the study.
source: nbcnews.com
It is known that the milk in the island group was polluted with the crop protection agent, the substances probably got into the milk through the cattle fodder. In the 80's high doses of the substance were found in milk and groundwater. Heptachlor was used a lot in the pineapple cultivation back then.
The researchers point out there there is no direct cause of the development of Parkinson's shown. The study only shows a relationship. "The potential link between milk consumption, heptachlor and the development of Parkinson's must be studied further," the study concludes.
The study can contribute to more knowledge about the development of the disease. Various different studies show that there is no clear genetic link, so external factors may play a crucial role. According to the American Parkinson's Disease Foundation it is unclear in 85 percent of the patients why the disease developed.
Click here to read the study.
source: nbcnews.com