Connection between Nutrition and Parkinson's Disease
A study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada has linked adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet to a later onset of Parkinson's disease. The research, published in a prestigious medical journal, indicates that following this particular dietary pattern could delay the onset of Parkinson's by up to 17.4 years for women and 8.4 years for men.
The study compared two diets: the Mediterranean diet and the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet. Both diets emphasize consuming vegetables, pulses, seafood, olive oil, and moderate wine intake, with minimal consumption of processed and fried foods, red meat, refined grains, added sugars, and saturated fats.
While there are small differences between the two, the MIND diet places more emphasis on green leafy vegetables, berries, beans, whole grains, and poultry, discouraging fruit, milk, and potatoes.
Remarkably, the study found that women benefited more from the MIND diet, delaying the onset of Parkinson's by 17.4 years on average, compared to those who least adhered to the diet. Similarly, men who closely followed the Mediterranean diet experienced a delay of 8.4 years in the onset of the disease.
The study involved totaling 286 Canadian participants, 167 of whom had experienced the first symptoms of Parkinson's within the past 12 years. Researchers assessed each participant's adherence to the MIND or Mediterranean diet, taking into consideration other health markers such as exercise, smoking, and diabetes.
According to the findings, there was a significant correlation between MIND diet adherence and the later onset of Parkinson's, particularly for women. Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell, a researcher involved in the study from the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, commented, "Our study shows that individuals with Parkinson's disease have a significantly later age of onset if their eating pattern closely aligns with the Mediterranean-type diet. The difference shown in the study was up to 17 years later in women and eight years later in men."
The MIND diet was initially designed to minimize cognitive decline and has been linked to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in past studies. However, this is the first research to investigate the effect of the MIND diet on those with Parkinson's disease. The study supports a previous study that found that the MIND diet could reduce incidence and delay progression of Parkinson's disease.
According to recent research, high consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as sodas, packaged snacks, and hot dogs, may be associated with an increased risk of developing early signs or prodromal features of Parkinson's disease. People who consume about 11 servings of such foods daily are about 2.5 times more likely to develop multiple early symptoms of Parkinson's compared to those who eat the least processed foods.
Overall, the study suggests that adhering to dietary patterns rich in whole, minimally processed foods, such as the MIND diet, may potentially lower the risk of Parkinson's disease over time. Further long-term research is needed to confirm this potential benefit.
- The study revealed that adherence to the MIND diet, which focuses on green leafy vegetables, berries, beans, whole grains, poultry, and a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, could significantly delay the onset of Parkinson's disease, particularly for women by up to 17.4 years.
- In the realm of health and wellness, nutrition plays a crucial role in managing medical-conditions like Parkinson's disease. The study indicates that a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, seafood, olive oil, and whole grains might potentially lower the risk of developing Parkinson's over time.
- Science continues to uncover the connection between diet and neurological disorders, as recent research suggests that high consumption of ultra-processed foods could increase the risk of developing early signs of Parkinson's disease. Adopting a MIND or Mediterranean-style diet, which minimizes the intake of processed and fried foods, red meat, refined grains, added sugars, and saturated fats, could potentially lower this risk.
