[soccertese]

at the bottom of this page says "provided by MONASH UNIVERSITY" so not really "NEWS" plus only shown in animal models, i think this research has already been mentioned.

Reducing a person's calorie intake can protect against the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's Disease. But why this happens has remained a mystery. Until now.

Monash researchers, led by Associate Professor Zane Andrews from the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute, have discovered the way this calorie reduction neuro-protection works – opening up the way for the development of drugs that could slow or prevent diseases like Parkinson's, without the need to reduce calories. The research is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Humans have a hormone – called Ghrelin or "hunger hormone" – that is produced in the gastrointestinal tract and acts on the brain to regulate hunger.

Associate Professor Andrews found that by decreasing calorie intake in animal models – thereby boosting Ghrelin production – the hallmarks of Parkinson's Disease failed to develop. This was confirmed in studies by comparing those that produced Ghrelin with those that did not produce ghrelin. Those that did not produce Ghrelin, exhibited much more severe signs of Parkinson's Disease when calorie intake was restricted.

According to Dr Andrews, Ghrelin is more than just a "hunger hormone". "When we are hungry we need more than just a signal that tells us to eat," he said.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-0...daily-nwletter