BMAA and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease): Fishing For Answers | Care2 Healthy Living

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ALS is more common than generally recognized, with an incidence rate now close to that of multiple sclerosis. What causes it? 50 years ago scientists found that the rate of ALS among the indigenous peoples on the island of Guam was 100 times that found in the rest of the world, potentially offering a clue into the cause of the disease.

Cycad trees were suspected as the source, since the powdered seeds were a dietary staple of the natives and there were reports of livestock showing neurological disease after eating from it. And indeed, a new neurotoxin was found in the seeds, called BMAA. But the amount of BMAA in the seeds people ate was so small that it was calculated that people would have to eat a thousand kilograms a day to get a toxic dose—that’s around a ton of seeds daily. So, the whole cycad theory was thrown out and the trail went cold.

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