Objective: To evaluate the relationship between dietary habits, motor and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease patients with both cross-sectional and longitudinal design

Background: Diet and nutrition play an important role in brain aging and might influence disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases. To date no large studies evaluated the relationship between diet habits and motor or cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients.

Methods: Consecutive PD patients underwent a cross-sectional standardized motor, cognitive and functional assessment and fulfilled a food frequency questionnaire. A subgroup of patients were evaluated after a 4-years follow up. The relationship between dietary habits and the following variables were evaluated by using nonparametric testing after multiple comparison correction (p<0.005): age, gender, disease duration, motor impairment (UPDRS-III), global cognition (MMSE), levodopa daily equivalent dose (LEDD), presence of behavioural disturbances. The results were confirmed in multivariate analyses adjusted for age, gender and disease duration.

Results: Two-hundred eighty-three patients entered the study; the mean age was 72.6 + 9 years with a mean disease duration of 7 + 5 years. The mean UPDRS-III and MMSE scores were 21 + 13 and 25 + 4 points, respectively. Red meat and total fish consumption significantly correlates with clinical features in PD, while vegetables, fruits, vitamins, coffee, thee, wine or alcohol intake did not. Higher red meat consumption was associated with worse UPDRS-III motor scores (p=0.003) and slightly higher LEDD (p=0.02). Fish intake was significantly associated with better MMSE scores (p=0.005) and did not correlate with motor scores or levo-dopa intake. Ninety-four out of two-hundred eighty-three patients underwent 4-year follow-up assessment. Patients with high red meat consumption showed significantly higher LEDD increase at 4-years follo up (p=0.001)a and slightly higher UPDRS_III total score. Patients with higher fish consumption showed a significantly lower conversion rate to dementia (p= 0.05).

Conclusions: Red meat consumption might worse motor progression PD. However, higher proteins intake might be a compensatory response of energy need in complicated patients. Higher fish consumption might specifically protect against cognitive dysfunction in PD patients. The interaction between dietary habits, social status and general activity probably explain these interesting results. Longitudinal studies are need to explore the potential role of diet intervention on disease progression in PD patients.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/dietary-habits-motor-and-cognitive-impairment-in-parkinsons-disease/