New Delhi (PTI): Naturally elevated levels of urate, a normal component of the blood, may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease in men, a study has found.

In a recent study, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that the urate-elevating strategies could be used to slow the neurodegeneration (loss of neurons which make up the nervous system) of Parkinson's disease.

"Among recently diagnosed Parkinson's patients, those with the highest urate levels had a significantly slower rate of disease progression during the two-year study period," the report that appeared in the latest issue of Archives of Neurology said.

The researchers from HSPH along with experts from the Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) analysed blood samples of about 800 persons in their neurodenegenrative stage for urate levels.

"The participants with the highest urate levels at the beginning of the study had about half the risk of needing to start Parkinson's treatment drugs as did those with the lowest levels," senior author of the study, Alberto Ascherio said.

Several other studies have found that healthy people with elevated levels of urate have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

"These findings, combined with prior knowledge of urate's protective properties in laboratory studies, raise the possibility that urate-elevating strategies could be used to slow the neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease," he said.

Parkinson's disease characterised by tremors, rigidity, difficulty in walking and other symptoms is caused by destruction of brain cells important for neurotransmission.