Monday, 08 February 2021

Can Healthy Eating Delay the Onset of Parkinson’s Disease?

There are many benefits to healthy eating, and it turns out that the delayed onset of Parkinson’s Disease could be one of them, based on findings from a recent study. The question is, how accurate is this study? And - should you decide to alter your diet in the hopes of reaping this particular benefit - what are the changes that you should be focusing on? Here’s everything that you need to know.

The study

The study in question was conducted by UBC researchers and involved 176 participants. The researchers took note of the participants’ adherence to diets that revolved around healthy eating – the MIND diet (a combination of the Mediterranean diet and a diet known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the Mediterranean diet, in particular – and then observed the age of their Parkinson’s Disease onset.

They found that those who seemed to adhere to these diets for long periods of time experienced a significantly later onset of the disease.

For women, the onset was delayed by up to 17.4 years, and up to 8.4 years in men. These figures are rather staggering, but it is important to note that there are certain limitations and assumptions involved in the study that could skew the findings somewhat. For instance, the modus operandi was to enquire what the participants ate after having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and made the assumption that they followed the same eating habits for some time before the diagnosis.

Having said that, there’s definitely clear evidence that healthy eating can have a positive impact on a person’s general wellbeing, and with regard to Parkinson’s Disease, specifically.

"There is so much benefit to eating healthy," says lead researcher Avril Metcalfe-Roach, a PhD student at UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories. "It is in everybody's best interest to try to keep your microbiome healthy, to try and eat a rich variety of plant-based and other healthy foods. This study provides even more evidence for what we already know -- that we should be trying to eat healthy and taking care of ourselves."

What to eat?

The MIND diet and Mediterranean diet both centre on consuming moderate amounts of whole grains, fruits and veggies, and fish, all while encouraging people to steer clear of eating large amounts of meat and dairy.

As with most other diets, it is always advisable to try to eat as fresh and as organic as possible, limiting packaged and processed foods in any way that you can.

Happy eating and good health!

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