Chronic polysystemic candidiasis as a possible contributor to onset of idiopathic Parkinson's disease - PubMed
Epp, Mravec/PubMed/2006
Why It Matters
This caught my attention because it connects something common (chronic Candida overgrowth) to neurodegeneration through a specific biochemical pathway. The acetaldehyde-to-salsolinol mechanism is testable. But critical reality check: this is a 2006 hypothesis paper with zero experimental data. It's an interesting idea that apparently didn't gain traction in 18 years—no follow-up studies testing whether people with chronic candidiasis have higher Parkinson's rates or elevated brain salsolinol. File this under 'plausible mechanism, completely unproven clinically.'
Key Findings
- Proposes acetaldehyde from chronic Candida infections converts dopamine into salsolinol, a known neurotoxin
- Salsolinol has been linked to death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra—the hallmark of Parkinson's disease
- Notes overlap between mental symptoms reported in chronic candidiasis and early Parkinson's disease
- Pure hypothesis paper—presents no experimental data, patient studies, or mechanism validation
Read the Paper↗PMID: 17051898