The Role of Diet and Dietary Patterns in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with diminished nutrition status and decreased quality of life. While the prevalence of PD is expected to increase, no preventative or curative therapy for PD exists at this time. Although nutrition and diet represent modifiable risk factors for reducing chronic disease risk, research on the impact of single nutrients on PD has yielded mixed results. As a result, this single-nutrient approach may be the driving force behind the inconsistency, and a holistic dietary approach may overcome this inconsistency by accounting for the interactions between nutrients. The following review aims to examine the impact of a generally healthy dietary pattern, the protein-restricted diet (PRD), the ketogenic diet (KD), the Mediterranean diet (MD), and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet on PD risk, progression, and severity. While most of the included studies support the role of diet and dietary patterns in reducing the risk of PD or alleviating PD severity, the inconsistent results and need for further evidence necessitate more research being conducted before making dietary recommendations. Research on the potential beneficial effects of dietary patterns on PD should also investigate potential risks.

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“…Various different dietary styles and the use of nutritional supplements have been investigated for their potential to slow the development and progression of PD, and as part of the management of established disease, although data are primarily from observational studies ( 154–156 ). There has been increasing interest in “food as medicine” and how dietary components, in particular plant-derived compounds, might attenuate dopaminergic neuron degeneration, reduce α-synuclein aggregation, and modulate neuroinflammatory responses in people with PD ( 157 , 158 ).…”

The gastrointestinal tract and Parkinson’s disease

“…A combination of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, also known as the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, has also been shown to possibly delay onset of PD, especially in females ( Metcalfe-Roach et al., 2021 ). The MIND diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet but also features low salt, low cholesterol and promotes foods thought to be neuroprotective like blueberries, leafy-green vegetables and oily fish ( Knight et al., 2022 ; Devranis et al., 2023 ). A cross-sectional study of one thousand two hundred and five patients compared PD severity using the patient-reported outcomes in PD (PRO-PD) score, a thirty-three-question survey of common PD motor and non-motor symptoms, while adhering to the Mediterranean diet versus the MIND diet.…”

The role of nutrition in the prevention of cognitive decline

“…This relationship has been investigated especially in the case of Alzheimer's disease. Many studies have explored the association between cognitive function and antioxidant supplementation [31].…”