From: "Mark" 

As is usual, doing what you want when you want, beats out the
"consensus" promoted in any given year by any given coven of
doctors or politicians


"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in
message news:461af976$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>
> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11568-do-coffee-and-cigarettes-protect-
against-parkinsons.html
>
> People with Parkinson's disease are less likely to be smokers and coffee
> drinkers than their healthy siblings, according to a study of family
> members. The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that some
> substance in tobacco might protect the brain against this devastating
> neurological disorder and sheds new light on coffee's effects on the
> disease.
>
> Researchers say the study provides new evidence that the causes of
> Parkinson's vary. They also stress that the negative health effects of
> smoking far outweigh any protective effect the substance might have
> against this neurodegenerative disease.
>
> Parkinson's disease, which generally strikes people over the age of 50,
> leads to a loss of coordination, dementia and may result in early death.
>
> For decades, scientists have found evidence suggesting that smokers are
> less likely to develop this illness than non-smokers. But experts believe
> that genes can influence one's risk of developing Parkinson's, and the
> vast majority of these studies involved participants who were unrelated
> and therefore genetically dissimilar.
>
> To control for this genetic variability, William Scott of the University
> of Miami in Florida, US, and his colleagues studied the smoking and
> coffee-drinking habits of Parkinson's patients and their family members.
> ....
>
> Exactly why smoking and consuming coffee had an inverse association with
> Parkinson's disease remains largely unclear.
> Dopamine link
>
> One possible mechanism involves a signalling chemical in the brain called
> dopamine. The death of dopamine-producing cells in the brain appears to
> drive the progression of Parkinson's disease, and both smoking and
> drinking coffee can raise levels of the chemical.
>
> Scientists have also found some evidence that a substance in tobacco smoke
> may boost dopamine levels by blocking the production of toxins that poison
> dopamine-producing cells (see Why the wicked weed wards off Parkinson's).
>
> But Scott cautions that the relationship between Parkinson's and smoking
> may not be a simple one of cause and effect. The biology of certain
> people's brains who develop Parkinson's disease may simply make them less
> likely to become addicted to cigarettes, he says.

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