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Clinically proven
to reduce oxidative stress.
Protandim featured on
ABC's PrimeTime Live
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AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS) | |
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Oxidative Stress and ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease whereby both upper and lower motor neurons degenerate or die, ceasing to send messages to muscles. It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. Eventually, the brain completely loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movement. The cause(s) of ALS is not fully understood in the vast majority of cases and the mechanisms involved in motor neuron degeneration are multi-factorial and complex. However, there is substantial evidence to support the hypothesis that oxidative stress is one mechanism by which motor neuron death occurs. The only known cause of ALS is a mutation of a specific gene: the SOD1 gene. This mutation is believed to make a defective protein that is toxic to motor nerve cells. The SOD1 mutation, however, accounts for only 1 or 2 percent of ALS cases, or 20 percent of the familial (inherited) cases, and the rest are sporadic in nature.
About ALS
- ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease characterized by the degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
- Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with the highest incidence being in people over the age of 60.
- Occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries
- Estimated to be responsible for as many as five of every 100,000 deaths in people aged 20 and older.
- Affects about 20% more men than women
- 3 to 5 years is the mean survival for people with ALS
- There is no known cure
Risk Factors
- Age is the biggest risk factor
- 1 to 2 percent of all cases involve a gene mutation for the enzymes SOD1 or copper zinc SOD. Ongoing research on patients and mice carrying the SOD1 mutation has found signs of oxidative tissue damage.
- No other factors present a risk for ALS. Scientists simply cannot explain why people develop this disease.
Risk Reducers
- Researchers are working to prove that oxidative damage is what causes the nerve cell insults of ALS, but it may also be a secondary, downstream effect instead of the primary cause. Research on other theories is wide-spread and ongoing.
The Studies
Neurodegenerative diseases and oxidative stress.
Barnham KJ, Masters CL, Bush AI. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2004 Mar;3(3):205-14.
Abstract: Oxidative stress has been implicated in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Oxygen is vital for life but is also potentially dangerous, and a complex system of checks and balances exists for utilizing this essential element. Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance in pro-oxidant/antioxidant homeostasis that leads to the generation of toxic reactive oxygen species. The systems in place to cope with the biochemistry of oxygen are complex, and many questions about the mechanisms of oxygen regulation remain unanswered. However, this same complexity provides a number of therapeutic targets, and different strategies, including novel metal-protein attenuating compounds, aimed at a variety of targets have shown promise in clinical studies.Oxidative stress in ALS: A mechanism of neurodegeneration and a therapeutic target.
Oxidative stress in ALS: A mechanism of neurodegeneration and a therapeutic target.
Barber SC, Mead RJ, Shaw PJ. Biochem Biophys Acta; 2006 April 4
Abstract: The cause(s) of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not fully understood in the vast majority of cases and the mechanisms involved in motor neuron degeneration are multi-factorial and complex. There is substantial evidence to support the hypothesis that oxidative stress is one mechanism by which motor neuron death occu | | |
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