At 10:13 PM 9/8/96 -0400, you wrote:
>I have just joined this group, so this may be a topic that has been
>around for awhile.
>
>I ran across an article on a WEB site several weeks ago that stated that
>fava beans might be used for treatment of PD in third world countries,
>since they are a source of L-dopa. I send out an e-mail and got the
>following response:
>
>"There was a good paper on Parkinson's including a discussion of fava
>beans as
>a food source of L-dopa, in Nutrition Reviews, May 1994;52:51-8. You
>should
>be able to get a copy at [any] medical library."
>
>I have not read the article, but the prospect of fava beans being a
>source of L-dopa brings up many questions:
>
>* What are the pros and cons of fava bean therapy?
>* Is this any better, worse, or just different than other sources?
>* Should one take these? If so, how much?
>* How should they be prepared?
>* Are fava beans the only food source for L-dopa? Are there others?
>* Do other flat beans provide some L-dopa, such as lima beans?
>* How dangerous is Favism, a hereditary disease in the Mediterranean
>area?
>* Will dried beans work?
>* Are there different varieties that have various strengths?
>* etc?
>
>Thanks
>
>==Clay==
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
Dear Clay,
WElcome to the group. Fava beans are a source of dopa, but from what I
understand, using fava beans would likely make you a social outcast since
the quantity required for a therapeutic dose is relatively large and fava
beans cause considerable flatulence.
Perhaps if you were living on a desert isle....
WILL JOHNSTON 4049 OAKLAND SCHOOL ROAD
SALISBURY, MD 21804-2716
410-543-0110
Pres A.P.D.A. DelMarVa Chapter
63 Dx1991 Symptoms 1971
