Here's another interesting article on calorie restriction.

[www.nytimes.com]

WONDERFUL! The toughest issue.

an excuse to starve people.

Why doesn't the weight loss in later HD help prolong the life?

Apple

I think because the disease is progressive. There are early problems within the cell which lead to other problems later on. A treatment which addresses early problems may not help once the cell is battling problems which occur downstream.

Caloric restriction mobilizes the cell in ways that help fight neurodegenerative diseases. But it can only do so much because a known problem in HD is that the energy metabolism of the cell is restricted. As aging takes place that becomes more critical. And even early on it's tricky because it's very important to get the best nutrition. That was true in the monkey experiment and even more true for people at risk for neurodegenerative disorders.

In my opinion, the answer is to find treatments that mobilize the cell in the same way that caloric restriction does.

I am confused by this. When my daughter received her diagnosis I was told she should have lots of calories. So I worked very hard to get her to eat as much as possible and gave her high calorie food. Now she is on a feeding tube and I have been concerned that she won't get enough. On TV this moring they were talking about this calorie restriction and that it could cause people to be unable to conceive and may not be good for your body. So what is the best thing to do?

You are doing the right thing to try to keep her weight up to normal levels. As HD progresses, many patients need extra calories to avoid weight loss. There are two likely reasons for this. One is that chorea uses up a lot of calories and one is that energy metabolism is challenged in the HD patient.

In general, calorie restriction - assuming that people eat the right things and get good nutrition - seems to slow the aging process. One way it does this is by mobilizing cells to fight oxidative damage - a known problem in neurodegenerative diseases. We need treatments that will do the same thing, mobilize the cell to fight aging.

In my opinion, the take away message from this research is to eat a good diet rich in antioxidants, exercise, and keep one's weight down to normal levels. I've known some presymptomatic gene positive people who deliberately put on weight with empty calorie foods, thinking this was the right thing to do. It doesn't seem like it.

As the data accumulates about diet, we'll put it up on the Lighthouse. Right now a Mediterranean diet looks like a good bet as does antioxidant rich foods, Omega 3 rich foods, and green tea (article on the way). What's good for the heart appears to be what is also good for the brain.

I might be able to do this one.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Intermittent fasting as an alternative approach

Studies by Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D., chief of the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Laboratory of Neurosciences, and colleagues have found that intermittent fasting and calorie restriction affect the progression of diseases similar to Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease in mice (PMID 11119686). In one study, rats and mice ate a low-calorie diet or were deprived of food for 24 hours every other day (PMID 12724520). Both methods improved glucose metabolism, increased insulin sensitivity, and increased stress resistance. Researchers have long been aware that calorie restriction extends lifespan, but this study showed that improved glucose metabolism also protects neurons in experimental models of Parkinson's and stroke.

Another NIA study found that intermittent fasting and calorie restriction delays the onset of Huntington's disease-like symptoms in mice and prolongs their lives (PMID 12589027). Huntington's disease (HD), a genetic disorder, results from neuronal degeneration in the striatum. This neurodegeneration results in difficulties with movements that include walking, speaking, eating, and swallowing. People with Huntington's also exhibit an abnormal, diabetes-like metabolism that causes them to lose weight progressively.

This NIA study compared adult HD mice who ate as much as they wanted to HD mice who were kept on an intermittent fasting diet during adulthood. HD mice possess the abnormal human gene huntingtin and exhibit clinical signs of the disease, including abnormal metabolism and neurodegeneration in the striatum. The mice on the fasting program developed clinical signs of the disease about 12 days later and lived 10 to 15% longer than the free-fed mice. The brains of the fasting mice also showed less degeneration. Those on the fasting program also regulated their glucose levels better and did not lose weight as quickly as the other mice. Researchers found that fasting mice had higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. BDNF protects neurons and stimulates their growth. Fasting mice also had high levels of heat-shock protein-70 (Hsp70, which increases cellular resistance to stress.

Apple

I appreciate all the information. My daughter, Michelle, has a feeding tube. She has had it for two years. Her chorea has always been very bad, her tongue was affected and also she was grinding her teeth badly. So she has had botox in her jaws for about 3 years or so. This made swallowing more difficult and she became dehydrated. With her chorea being so bad IV's would come out and even a deep line was inserted and she broke that also. The alternative was the feeding tube and she has become increasingly dependent on it and refuses to eat very much by mouth now. Before, going out to eat was her favorite thing to do and now she doesn't enjoy it very much. She usually just wants dessert so I let her have that if it brings her enjoyment and gets her out. The formula (Jevity 1.5) has put weight on her, more than I would like. She is a size 14 and was a size 8 when she became ill. If I don't give her the feedings and try to get her to eat more we have terrible screaming episodes. You know who wins!!!
Marsha, you are amazing how you interpret all of this information. Thank you for all of your time and effort.

Al, is she diabetic? I ask because you said she is on jevity.

No she isn't. That is what put her on at the hospital.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2006 10:50PM by AL.