Mediterranean diet could lead to later onset of Parkinson’s disease

• A new study has found a link between a Mediterranean-style diet and the late onset of Parkinson’s disease.
• Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable.
• Researchers evaluated people on both the Mediterranean diet and the very similar MIND diet, both of which focus on vegetables, legumes, seafood, olive oil, and wine in moderation.
• They found that the closest women who followed the MIND regimen developed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease 17.4 years later than those with the lowest adherence.
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Eating a Mediterranean diet is linked to later onset of Parkinson’s disease, study finds.

Women who follow a Mediterranean-style diet – which was recently named the world’s best diet, and not for the first time – may delay Parkinson’s disease by 17.4, researchers at the University of British Columbia say. years and 8.4 years. for men.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable. This happens when brain cells stop functioning and the brain cannot make enough dopamine hormone to control the body, which leads to tremors, muscle damage, and stiffness. According to Parkinson’s UK, it is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world.

Researchers looked at two diets: the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet, which are broadly similar, both focusing on vegetables, legumes, seafood, olive oil, and wine in moderation.

Likewise, both diets encourage minimal consumption of processed and fried foods, red meat, refined grains, added sugars, and saturated fat, as reported by Insider’s Gabby Landsverk.

There are, however, small differences between the two – the MIND diet (which is based on the Mediterranean and DASH diets) emphasizes green leafy vegetables, berries, beans, whole grains, and poultry, like l ‘reported Erin Brodwin of Business Insider. It also discourages fruits, milk and potatoes.

Researchers found that women got the most benefit from the MIND diet, while the Mediterranean diet had a greater positive effect on men.

The study evaluated a total of 286 Canadian participants, 167 of whom had Parkinson’s disease (i.e., first symptoms) within the previous 12 years, and 119 were a control group.

68% of participants with Parkinson’s disease were men, compared to 39% in the control group, however, men are 1.5 times more likely to have the disease than women, according to Parkinsons.org.

Adherence to the MIND or Mediterranean diet was assessed for each participant, taking into account other health markers, such as exercise, smoking and diabetes.

The researchers found a correlation between adherence to the MIND diet and the subsequent onset of Parkinson’s disease, especially in women. The closest women who followed the MIND diet were found to have Parkinson’s disease 17.4 years later than those with the lowest adherence.

It’s important to note that correlation doesn’t mean causation, and the researchers note that there are limitations to the study, but they are excited by the results.

“The study shows that people with Parkinson’s disease have a significantly later age of onset if their diet 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, “said Dr Silke Appel-Cresswell of the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Center, the Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health and the Division of Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine of the ‘UBC.

She continued: “There is a lack of drugs to prevent or delay Parkinson’s disease, but we are optimistic that this new evidence suggests that nutrition could potentially delay the onset of the disease.”

The MIND diet was originally designed to minimize cognitive decline, and it has been linked to prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in the past, but the new study is the first research on the effect. of the MIND diet for people with Parkinson’s disease.

However, the research supports a previous study which found that the MIND diet may reduce the incidence and delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Read more:

The Mediterranean Diet has been named the Best Diet for 2021. Here’s how to try it.

Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of diabetes in overweight women, study finds

Why the Mediterranean diet is touted as one of the best by dietitians