Research Shows Tomatoes’ Potential To Fight Parkinson’s Disease

(Newswire.net — June 20, 2022) Orlando, FL — Many of the safest and most effective treatments for brain health issues, like Parkinson’s disease, can be found in the kitchen. These include tomatoes that have long been studied by researchers due to their medicinal benefits.

According to researchers, tomatoes may offer an affordable source of Parkinson’s disease drugs. They particularly reveal that they have produced a tomato enriched with L-COPA, which is a Parkinson’s disease drug.  

Such a genetically modified (GM) tomato development may have implications for developing nations where access to pharmaceutical drugs is restricted. This is a novel use of tomato as a natural source of pharmaceutical drugs. 

It may be specifically beneficial for individuals who suffer from the adverse effects of chemically synthesized L-DOPA. It is worth noting adverse effects include nausea and behavioral complications. 

This research was carried out by scientists from John Innes Centre. 

The investigating team modified the tomato fruit by introducing a certain gene, which is responsible for L-DOPA synthesis in beetroot where it plays a role in the production of betalains, which are pigments. 

It is worth noting that this amino acid called L-DOPA is produced from tyrosine and can be found in many foods. The research team inserted a gene encoding a tyrosinase, which is an enzyme that utilizes tyrosine in building molecules such as L-DOPA.

This increased the L-DOPA level, particularly in the fruit part of the plant. Further, it results in higher yields than those linked with L-DOPA production in the whole plant.

“The idea is that you can grow tomatoes with relatively little infrastructure. As GMOs (genetically modified organisms) you could grow them in screen houses, controlled environments with very narrow meshes, so you would not have pollen escape through insects,” said Professor Cathie Martin (FRS), corresponding author of the study.

“Then you could scale up at relatively low cost. The local industry could prepare L-DOPA from tomatoes because it’s soluble and you can do extractions. Then you could make a purified product relatively low tech which could be dispensed locally,” she added.

Aside from tomatoes, there are actually many items in the kitchen that experts found to be potentially helpful in fighting Parkinson’s disease. These may include the use of VitaBreeze Curcumin, which is known for its disease-fighting benefits.

Some studies have shown that curcumin has strong brain health effects, and has shown potential in battling Parkinson’s. What makes it all the more beneficial is that may also promote overall brain health. (amazon.com/Turmeric-Curcumin-Complex-Pepper-Extract/dp/B00JA4TLTI/)