Can a simple pill affect our brain?
This was the question the Bergen researchers wanted to answer. After searching for 30 patients in the Bergen area, the answer was clear.
– We found that we can increase the amount of a vital substance, NAD, in the brain. It can be important for many diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dementia.
This is the victory of Charalampos Tzoulis. He is Professor and Chief Medical Officer of Neurology at the University Hospital of Hawkeland and the University of Bergen.
blue pills
They look like regular capsules. And so are they up to now. These are supplements that can be purchased without a prescription today.
However, these pills can revolutionize the treatment of many brain diseases.
Tzoulis employs a research group that now believes it is facing a medical breakthrough.
NAD is necessary for energy metabolism and for the preservation of genetic material. It usually disappears gradually with disease and old age. We have demonstrated that oral contraceptives can raise the level of NAD in the human brain.
It is difficult to influence the brain directly through it. But today he has found his way now.
It can have a good effect: it is these capsules that increase the values of NAD in the brain.
Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / NRK
New hope
One of those involved in the study is Roar Iversen.
– I’m trembling on the right side of my body. And I struggle to sleep. And then I know I’m going to get worse.
It’s been just over two years since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He exercises a lot and takes medication to relieve symptoms.
He doesn’t know if he got the real pills or the placebos in the scan. In any case, the research work gives hope for a better life.
– It will be very convenient if the pills actually help. I spend a lot of time treating the disease. If one could slow down the development with simple actions, it would simply be great.
miracle substance na d
In the old main building in Haukeland, Tzoulis paints and explains how an increased level of NAD can have positive effects.
He and a colleague were the first to think that one could increase the level of NAD in this way, to slow down Parkinson’s disease.
Before the research team can conclude that they’ve actually found a pill that can slow diseases like Parkinson’s, they must now carry out the second phase of the research project.
Four hundred patients from all over the country will be offered to participate. Such intensive and costly studies will only begin if one thinks they are likely to find what they are looking for.
We know we can increase the level of NAD in the brain. Now we must prove that this has a positive effect on diseases.
Defends against self-medication
The victory outsole answer from the survey is ready by the end of 2023.
It is possible to purchase the substance yourself, which researchers now believe has positive effects. However, Solis strongly cautions against trying to self-medicate.
The right amount is especially important. There are many products that do not contain a promise.
People are asked to wait until they get quality assured research. And he has good intentions that they face a breakthrough.
– 99 out of 100 times the hypothesis is completely incorrect. Then it is especially rewarding when it is right.
– This host is having an eureka moment that makes all the work worth it.
Hacking: Researcher and Professor Charalambos Tsoulis believe they are facing a hack.
Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / NRK
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