Ghrelin for treating PD

[zawy]

I do not know how one would obtain it, but Ghrelin seems to be pretty powerful in treating PD. Here's an article:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Prolonged fasting, lighter meals, green tea extract, marijuana, and coconut oil all increase it. It works when taken orally. The MCT's in coconut oil increase its utilization in the brain. So it seems ending a long fast with coconut oil is a good idea, as well as marijuana and green tea extract during the fast.

[CPT_Helen Partner]

At CPT we are very interested in Ghrelin (via our Linked Clinical Trials programme), however, it is tricky to administer and finding the right way to do this without promoting significant weight loss is the current focus. Many thanks. Helen

[zawy in reply to CPT_Helen]

How is it promoting weight loss? Doesn't Ghrelin increase appetite? I see papers using it to correct anorexia.

[NanCyclist]

I don't know if this is relevant, but this article was published in 2009 reporting research on mice. Is there research that is a little closer to home?

[zawy in reply to NanCyclist]

This is closer to home than a lot of studies on mice because it's already known that it absorbs and crosses the blood-brain barrier. It's also a fundamental aspect of digestion rather than an obscure plant compound, which means its action is more likely to be very similar across species.

Also, PD patients are low on ghrelin, presumably because the disease often starts in the gut, hurting the neurons that are in the gut from producing the ghrelin. So taking ghrelin is not unlike taking L-Dopa, except there are plenty of indications such as the mice studies that it will help the body produce its own dopamine, whereas taking L-Dopa will not help produce ghrelin.

It is difficult to find human studies on supplements. The expense of doing a human trial necessitates a patent which means a safe, natural, and inexpensive compound will not be investigated as much. If you require studies on humans, it mostly rules out nutritional supplements.

Coffee, green tea, black tea, heavy plant food diet, and nicotine are about the only things that reduce the likelihood someone gets PD. Therefore they may help in an existing condition, so they can be considered. They also all work on mice who have been subjected to a PD simulation (usually by poisoning the PD location in their brain with a toxin).

[NanCyclist]

Thanks so very much.