Medical scientists from various institutes have identified BMAA, a potential neurotoxin, in several species of the Cycad plant found in the forests of Odisha, according to a statement issued by AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
The finding has raised alarms as a section of local people follow traditions of consuming Cycad plant products, such as ‘pitha’ (a local food), as part of their diet and rituals.
This discovery was made as part of research by AIIMS Bhubaneswar to find out whether consuming Cycad plant-based food directly poses a risk of neurological diseases. “Whether this (Cycad plant-based food) consumption is directly linked to an increased incidence of neurological diseases remains a critical question. Experts engaged directly with villagers, patients, and local healthcare providers to understand the potential neurological and related health problems arising from the consumption of Cycad seeds.
A distinguished group of national and international scientists and medical experts recently participated in an international workshop titled “Cycad-Related Neurological Disorders: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Its Remediation”.
”Often used today as ornamental flora, Cycad species contain potent toxins, including Cycacin, BMAA (ß-N-methylamino-L-alanine), and MAM (methylazoxymethanol),” it said. These toxins have been strongly associated with “debilitating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsonism, motor neurone disease, and dementia in other global regions, notably the Guam peninsula in the US and the Kii peninsula in Japan, where the plant has been an indigenous part of traditional diets”, it said. (PTI)
