Parkinson’s Disease
Cause and Risk Factors of Parkinson’s Disease:
There is currently no known cause as to why Parkinson’s Disease occurs and why the nerve cells begin to die. However, some risk factors have been identified which can increase the risk in developing the condition, these include:
- Advancing age
- Gender; males are more susceptible
- Genetics; individuals who have a parent or sibling have double the chance of developing Parkinson’s Disease themselves
- Environmental factors: exposure to farming chemicals, heavy metals and solvents
- Repetitive head trauma
How can Bites Dietitians help?
- Unintentional weight loss
- Osteoporosis and osteopaenia
- Dehydration
- Bowel changes
- Medication side effects e.g. nausea, loss of appetite, fluid retention, weight gain and hallucinations.
Individuals with Parkinson’s disease can experience unintentional weight loss despite being in a constant calorie surplus, this is especially common in early stages of the disease. However, some individuals may experience the opposite and gain weight unintentionally due to the response from treatment and deep brain stimulation and dopamine replacement therapy. Based on this our Dietitians will conduct regular nutritional screening for weight changes and malnutrition and adjust meal plans accordingly. This will help prevent nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, decrease in muscle mass and other comorbidities that are associated with malnutrition! Our Dietitians will create a meal plan that is suited to you as well as meeting certain requirements such as calcium and vitamin D recommended daily intakes (RDI). Calcium intake should be around 1200mg/day and vitamin D should be between 700-800 IU/day to prevent the onset of osteoporosis or osteopaenia. Our Dietitians can ensure you are meeting these requirements through an individualised dietary prescription. People with Parkinson’s Disease are also at risk of low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12. Parkinson’s medications have been seen to interfere with homocysteine levels, high homocysteine levels can also indicate vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies. Parkinson’s Disease can affect bowel movements, slowing down the movement of the colon therefore causing constipation. Due to this, increased fibre requirements and ensuring that you are receiving adequate fibre throughout the day is essential in helping regulate bowel movements. We can also provide you with fibre rich foods to incorporate into your diet to help combat this effect. Most medications can cause side effects such as feeling nauseous and decrease your appetite which can reduce your overall calorie intake and affect your nutritional status. If you experience this, our Dietitians can implement dietary strategies to help prevent malnutrition from occurring and ensure you meet your nutritional needs. No matter what your symptoms may be or nutritional concerns are, we are here to help, we create meal plans for YOU and can factor in all the above with you to design you a meal plan that you enjoy and that helps you live your healthiest life!
An interesting fact about diet and Parkinson’s Disease
The health benefits of caffeine have been supported by many studies with findings showing an inverse relationship between Parkinson’s Disease and caffeine. However, studies have shown that caffeine and the reduced risk of Parkinson’s Disease is more evident in men than women. This is because estrogen has an effect on caffeine’s neuroprotective properties. Studies have shown that post-menopausal women who do not take hormone replacing therapy receive the same neuroprotective properties of caffeine as men unlike post-menopausal women who do take hormone replacing therapy.
How can Bites Exercise Physiologists help?
Interesting facts about Parkinson’s Disease and Exercise:
- Exercise can assist in utilising dopamine in a more efficient manner which will aid in slowing the intensity and progression of symptoms experienced
- Exercising for as little as 2.5hrs a week has been proven to slow the decline in quality of life from Parkinson’s Disease
Improvements to expect from a tailored nutrition and exercise program
- Decreased risk of falls
- Better quality of life
- Increased independence
- Enhanced mood
- Increases neural plasticity which is the brain’s ability to create new pathways for signals to travel along
- Improves the brain’s ability to use dopamine in an efficient manner which will slow the progression of common symptoms
- Limits freezing and can help you move more efficiently
- Targets dystonia (muscle cramping) and reduced prevalence of this occurring
- Increased cognitive functioning and thinking capabilities
- Improvement in walking capability and balance
- Increased muscle strength
- Improved grip strength
- Improvements in motor coordination
- Sometimes you may even see a decrease in medication consumption
Helpful things to bring/remember before your first appointment
- Referral from your doctor or specialist
- Any added specialist/doctor notes or testing you may have done with them
- List of current medications
- Pathology test results
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