- A new study has found a link between eating a Mediterranean-style diet and late onset of Parkinson’s disease.
- Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure.
- The researchers evaluated people who follow the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet very similar, both focusing on vegetables, legumes, seafood, olive oil and wine in moderation.
- They found that the women who followed the closest MIND diet developed Parkinson’s symptoms 17.4 years later than those whose adherence was lower.
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Eating a Mediterranean diet is linked to the later onset of Parkinson’s disease, a study found.
According to researchers at the University of British Columbia, women who follow a Mediterranean-style diet – which has recently been voted the best diet in the world, and not for the first time – can delay Parkinson’s disease by up to 17.4 years and 8, 4 years for men.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure. It occurs when brain cells stop functioning and the brain cannot produce enough hormone dopamine to control the body, causing tremors, impaired muscles and stiffness. According to Parkinson’s UK, it is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
The researchers studied two diets: the Mediterranean and the MIND, which are very similar, both with a focus 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 fats, as reported by Insider’s Gabby Landsverk.
However, there are slight 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, as reported by Business Insider’s Erin Brodwin. It also discourages fruit, milk and potatoes.
The Mediterranean diet focuses on fish, vegetables and olive oil.
Linda Raymond / Getty Images
The researchers found that women reaped more benefits from the MIND diet, while the Mediterranean diet had a greater positive effect on men.
The study evaluated 286 Canadian participants in total, 167 of whom had Parkinson’s disease (that is, the onset of the first symptoms) in the previous 12 years, and 119 were a control group.
68% of participants with Parkinson’s were men, compared with 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 later onset of Parkinson’s, especially for women. The women who followed the MIND diet were found to have had Parkinson’s disease 17.4 years later than those whose adherence was lower.
It is important to note that correlation does not mean causation, and the researchers note that there are limitations to the study, but are enthusiastic about the findings.
“The study shows that individuals with Parkinson’s disease have a significantly later age of onset if their eating pattern is in line 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 Pacific Parkinson’s Research Center, Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health and the Neurology Division of the UBC Faculty of Medicine.
She continued, “There is a lack of drugs to prevent or slow Parkinson’s disease, but we are optimistic that this new evidence suggests that nutrition can delay the onset of the disease.”
The MIND diet was originally designed to minimize cognitive decline and has been linked to the 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 on people with Parkinson’s disease.
However, the research supports an earlier study that found that the MIND diet can reduce the incidence and slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
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