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Investigating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, meaning it starts slowly and gradually worsens. Also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS works against the nerves in your brain and spinal cord that control your muscles, inhibiting muscle movement and function.

As the disease progresses, it causes your muscles to continue to weaken, eventually leading to paralysis of your muscles — making not only walking and talking impossible, but also eating and breathing.

ALS happens when the motor neurons in your brain stop sending messages to your spinal cord, which then means your muscles aren’t getting the message, either. These messages control voluntary movements, like reaching for your phone or standing up, but also involuntary movements, like breathing and swallowing. The nerve cells stop communicating because they begin to break down and die. When your muscles stop working, they become weak and begin to atrophy.

There is no cure for ALS, and the typical lifespan post-diagnosis is three to five years, although some with the disease have lived ten years or longer.

Scientists are unsure what exactly causes ALS; only 5 to 10 percent of cases are genetic. Researchers have found links between ALS and the following:

 Problems with the immune system: Though scientists stop short of calling ALS an autoimmune disease, some believe the brain’s main immune cells, the microglia, might be destroying healthy neurons.

 Glutamate buildup: Glutamate is like a chemical transmitter, sending signals to and from the brain and nervous system. In people with ALS, glutamate builds up around the nerve cells and causes damage.

 Oxidative stress: Some of the oxygen your body uses for energy may actually work against you and form free radicals (unstable molecules that have electrons that react with your tissues and can damage them).

 Inflammation: In a 2017 study from Minzu University of China, researchers found that levels of pro-inflammatory molecules are increased in people with ALS, particularly in the central nervous system.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet For Dummies

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