Lorenzo’s Oil Shows Promise in Reducing Risk of Debilitating Disease

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Lorenzo’s Oil Shows Promise in Reducing Risk of Debilitating Disease

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LORENZO'S OIL ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY ALD Contact Information

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Treatment of boys with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) with Lorenzo’s oil (LO) reduced their risk of developing the severe debilitating form of the disease, according to a study.




Newswise — Treatment of boys with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) with Lorenzo’s oil (LO) reduced their risk of developing the severe debilitating form of the disease, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Individuals with ALD accumulate high levels of saturated very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in their brains. The course of the disease results in a number of different manifestations [phenotypes], according to background information in the article. The rapidly progressive cerebral ALD (CERALD) type typically begins between ages four and eight and progresses rapidly to total disability within a few years. An adult form is non-inflammatory, progresses slowly and is far less disabling. Children who do not develop abnormalities as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) by age seven or clinical symptoms by age 10, have greatly diminished risk of developing cerebral ALD.

In 1989, one of the authors of this study, Augusto Odone, pioneered a treatment (Lorenzo’s oil)

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/513002/