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There are many experimental therapies being used, but no concrete information is available yet about the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants, gene therapy or “Lorenzo’s Oil” combined with a low fat diet. Lorenzo’s Oil is a mixture of oleic and erucic acids, that helps to normalize the levels of very long chain fatty acids in boys with adrenoleukodystrophy. Having low levels of very long chain fatty acids in the body will help to slow and minimize the effects of the disease by preventing them from accumulating in the body. Unfortunately, use of the oil causes gross lowering of platelets in patients. Children with this disorder are deficient in docasahexaenoic acid, and clinical trials are being conducted with administration of this acid derived from algae. |
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The picture above shows the makeup of oleic and erucic acids and how they combine to make "Lorenzo's Oil." It was borrowed from http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~bstith/ loren.htm
click on the picture for a larger version
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