Your proactive fight against HD

A Healthy Diet is Vital to Care

In this section you will find updates and other content related to understanding and fighting HD with diet. Although there isn't an "official" HD diet, the ongoing research suggests that an HD diet might eventually look like the following.

• high consumption of fruits (blueberries are good stuff), vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fish
• low consumption of meat and dairy products
• mild to moderate consumption of alcohol
• more monounsaturated or unsaturated fats such as olive oil or walnuts
• less saturated fat such as butter.

Observations From Recent Research

Meal planning often presents a dilemma in HD families. Many people with Huntington's Disease need extra calories to maintain their weight. Adding high fat foods will add to the calorie count but also raises concerns about healthy eating.

One study shows that a meal that is high in polyphenols will help counter the unhealthy effects of high fat foods. Polyphenols are chemicals found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, cherries, cranberries, canteloupes, and broccoli. They are also found in red wine, green tea, and chocolate.

Including fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenols may present a good strategy for families who need to add calories but avoid the negative effects of unhealthy eating. Add blueberry juice to those ice cream shakes!

The information provided in another study suggests that walnuts as well as (HDL favorite) blueberries are good bets for a proactive diet. Good dietary choices can help the brain combat the affects of aging. As we age, our brain cells' defenses against cellular stress become less efficient. This affects all of us; some of our cognitive abilities decline and we become more vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. A strategy to combat the effects of aging is especially important in Huntington's Disease because the HD protein presents special challenges to the cell and we want the cell's defense mechanisms to go on working as well as possible.

Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and an inducer of the heat shock response which helps with protein folding. Oxidative damage and protein misfolding have been implicated as pathologies in Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative disorders. As a result, much interest has been generated in research designed to see if this natural food substance has neuroprotective properties.

Although curcumin has been studied in mouse models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with promising results, this is the first published study to have direct relevance to Huntington's Disease. The researchers used a toxin model of Huntington's Disease. They administered 3-nitropropionic acid, a neurotoxin which mimics the effects of HD on the brain. This model was much used before the development of the genetic mouse models of HD and is still used as one way to quickly test for promising compounds.

They found that rats which were given curcumin before and during the administration of the neurotoxin received significant neuroprotection.