Traditional Food Items in Ogimi, Okinawa: l-Serine Content and the Potential for Neuroprotection.
OBJECTIVE
Ogimi village is renowned for its aging population. We sought to determine if the l-serine content of their diet could account for their neurological health.


RESULTS
The most frequently consumed food items, including tofu and seaweeds, are rich in the dietary amino acid l-serine. l-serine content of the Ogimi diet >8 grams/day for Ogimi women significantly exceeds the average American dietary intake of 2.5 grams/day for women >70 years old.


CONCLUSIONS
Our hypothesis that the high l-serine content of the Ogimi diet is related to the paucity of tangle diseases among villagers is buttressed byin vivoresults with non-human primates where dietary l-serine slowed development of neurofibrillary tangles and β-amyloid plaques by up to 85% and a human clinical trial finding that l-serine at 15 grams/day twice daily slows functional decline in ALS patients. Analysis of the Ogimi diet suggests that l-serine should be evaluated for therapeutic potential as a neuroprotective agent.
Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, Box 3464, Jackson, WY 83001 USA.
Paul Alan
PA
Cox
Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, Box 3464, Jackson, WY 83001 USA.
James S
JS
Metcalf
ALS; Alzheimer’s disease; Dietary amino acids; Neuroprotection; Tangle diseases; l-Serine