Dietary Supplement Eases Parkinson’s Symptoms, Improves Dopamine Function, Study Show

Dietary Supplement Eases Parkinson’s Symptoms, Improves Dopamine Function, Study Shows

Catarina Silva

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a compound that is used by the body to produce an antioxidant called glutathione, may improve dopamine function and ease Parkinson’s disease symptoms, researchers report.

Their study, “N-Acetyl Cysteine Is Associated With Dopaminergic Improvement in Parkinson’s Disease” was published in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

Low brain levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is one of the earliest biochemical changes in Parkinson’s, leading to oxidative stress — an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the cells’ ability to detoxify them — and eventually, cellular death.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant supplement that provides a source of an amino acid called cysteine, which then is used by the body to produce glutathione. As such, supplementation with a glutathione precursor could increase overall glutathione levels in the brain, reducing oxidative stress levels and lessening the symptoms of this neurodegenerative disorder...