Cheese and milk link to Parkinson’s
Starlings just love having a get-together
EATING too much calcium-rich food like cheese could increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, experts say.
High calcium levels can cause proteins in brain cells to clump together and form “amyloid fibrils”, a key sign of the neurological disorder.
Dairy products contain the most calcium. Seafood, broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus and cabbage also contain high levels.
A diet too rich in calcium – vital for sending signals between nerve cells – has been shown to trigger high levels in the blood which can affect brain health.
The study, in Nature Communications, found calcium affects the protein alpha-synuclein which forms the toxic clusters.
The incurable disease affects about 145,000 Britons. Cambridge University’s Dr Janin Lautenschlager said: “We think alpha-synuclein is almost like a calcium sensor. In the presence of calcium it changes its structure and how it interacts with its environment.” THIS flock of starlings swirling together against a clear blue sky is truly a heart-lifting sight.
They were photographed by Jonathan Coombes at Pennington Flash, Leigh, near Wigan – but he only noticed the shape when he got home.
“You can’t really plan a shot like this,” he said. “There were around 1,000 birds creating amazing shapes in the sky.”
The starlings were performing a display called a murmuration, where they group together for
safety in numbers.