Charcot’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that results in atrophy, paralysis and ultimately shutdown of the airways. It is a serious illness. On average, patients survive between 24 and 48 months, although 10% of them survive 10 years after diagnosis.
Researchers at Columbia University (USA) looked for a link between nutritional intake and symptom severity in patients who had been diagnosed with Charcot’s disease for at least 18 months. For this study, they followed 302 patients recruited from 16 clinical centers throughout the United States. “It seems that nutrition plays both a role in the progression but also in the onset of the disease” underlines Dr Jeri Nieves, main author of this study published on the website of Jama Neurology.
Two different statistical analyzes show that a diet rich in antioxidant fruits and vegetables and carotenoids reduces the severity of symptoms of Charcot’s disease. The authors also found that milk and red meat caused a more severe form of the disease. “In fact, the nutritional recommendations are identical to those made to prevent a large number of chronic diseases” insists the doctor.
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