Introduction
Eating healthy is essential for everyone, but it is especially important for those living with Parkinson’s disease. A recent study has identified the #1 best eating habit to help with Parkinson’s disease. This habit is not only beneficial for those with Parkinson’s, but it can also help to improve overall health and well-being. In this article, we will discuss the #1 best eating habit to help with Parkinson’s disease, as well as provide some tips on how to incorporate this habit into your daily life. We will also provide some “Eat This Not That” advice to help you make healthier food choices.
The #1 Best Eating Habit to Help With Parkinson’s Disease, Says Study — Eat This Not That
A new study has revealed the best eating habit to help with Parkinson’s disease — and it’s not what you might expect. According to the research, the number one dietary habit that can help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s is to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, looked at the dietary habits of over 1,000 people with Parkinson’s disease and compared them to the dietary habits of over 1,000 people without the disease. The researchers found that those who ate a diet rich in fruits and vegetables were less likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who ate a diet low in fruits and vegetables.
The researchers also found that those who ate a diet high in processed foods, such as processed meats, were more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who ate a diet low in processed foods.
The study’s lead author, Dr. David Healy, said that the findings suggest that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s. He also noted that the findings are in line with other studies that have found that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Dr. Healy said that the findings should encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, as well as to limit their intake of processed foods. He also noted that the findings should not be taken as medical advice, and that people should always consult their doctor before making any changes to their diet.
Each year, about 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s Disease are identified, with it affecting 13 per 100,000 people in the United States. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, causes of potential risk factors for Parkinson’s can include genetics, environmental factors such as significant exposure to pesticides or certain heavy metals and repeated head injuries. Age, however, is a main risk factor, as Parkinson’s disease is most commonly found in adults over the age of 50.
There are ways to help control the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, such as medicines that use dopamine– a way to treat symptoms of shock by improving blood flow. There’s also new data suggesting what you eat can play a role in helping control Parkinson’s. According to research, a ketogenic diet can help improve motor and nonmotor symptoms in those who have Parkinson’s Disease.
The study posted in the Movement Disorders Journal developed a pilot randomized, controlled trial to compare the reasonability, safety, and potential effectiveness of a low‐fat, high‐carbohydrate diet versus a ketogenic diet in a hospital clinic of patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
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Researchers randomly assigned 47 patients to either the low-fat or ketogenic diet and studied the results over the course of 8 weeks. Out of 44 patients who began the diets, 38 completed the entire study. The ketogenic diet group maintained physiological ketosis—a normal response to low glucose availability that provides an additional energy source for the brain in the form of ketones. The ketone bodies work as antioxidants and bypass a defect in the mitochondria (the cells’ powerhouses) to fuel the body’s energy production.
Overall, both the low-fat and ketogenic diets significantly improved in motor and nonmotor symptoms, however the group who participated in the ketogenic diet showed greater improvements in many of the more disabling nonmotor symptoms, including pain, fatigue, trouble sleeping and eating, and cognitive changes such as problems with attention, planning, language, and memory.
The research also showed that it is possible that the ketogenic diet could play a complementary role alongside L‐dopa—a disorder characterized by childhood or adolescent onset of dystonia sometimes associated with parkinsonism—in the treatment of Parkinson’s. However, more controlled studies are needed before this can be stated with confidence.
The ketogenic diet has been shown to help other diseases and neurological disorders as well, such as epilepsy. Since at least 500 BCE, fasting and other dietary regimens have been used to treat epilepsy. In the 1920s, modern physicians tried to mimic the metabolism of fasting by introducing the ketogenic diet as a treatment for epilepsy. Over the past 15 years, there has been a large increase in both the use and scientific interest in the ketogenic diet.
Kayla Garritano