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Feb 8

Diet & Nutrition | Parkinson’s Disease

Diet Comments Off on Diet & Nutrition | Parkinson’s Disease

Healthy Eating

There is no one recommended way to eat with Parkinson's disease, but a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables promotes health and well-being for everyone.

One part of a healthy diet is eating foods with antioxidants. These "good for you" molecules help protect cells from stresses such as air pollution, cigarette smoke and even the process of converting food to energy. Antioxidants are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, dark chocolate and some beverages, such as red wine, coffee and tea.

For some Parkinson's symptoms, the first step in treatment is to adjust your diet.

Talk to your doctor or a dietitian to craft a diet that helps you manage your Parkinson's symptoms and feel energized and healthy.

The medication levodopa (Sinemet) is a protein building block, so it competes for absorption with other proteins. Taking levodopa with high-protein meals, such as meat and fish, may reduce how much of the drug gets into your system and how well a dose works. Early in your disease, especially when symptoms are mild, you may have no problem taking levodopa around mealtime. If medication doesn't seem to be working its best, or if it's wearing off before it's time for your next dose, your doctor may recommend taking medication on an empty stomach 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after a meal. Another option is to save higher amounts of protein for the end of the day, when controlling symptoms may not be as critical.

Iron supplements can decrease absorption of levodopa. If you take those, do so at least two hours before or after taking levodopa.

Fava beans contain levodopa, so adding them to one's diet is an attractive idea. Unfortunately, the amount of levodopa in fava beans is unknown and likely minimal.

Dopamine agonists(pramipexole, ropinirole, rotigotine) do not require any diet adjustment. MAO-B inhibitors(rasagaline, selegiline) increase tyramine, and combining them with foods high in tyramine usually aged cheese and cured meats could raise blood pressure. These foods dont need to be eliminated from the diet altogether, but should be eaten in moderation.

Some studies are looking at the effects of diet on Parkinson's symptoms and medication effects. Visit The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF)online study-matching tool Fox Trial Finderto find studies on diet and other areas.

Studies such as theMJFF online Fox Insight studyare gathering data on many aspects of life with Parkinson's, including diet. Fox Insight participants (with or without Parkinson's disease) complete surveys and questionnaires that are helping researchers learn more about the disease experience.

The medical information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has a policy of refraining from advocating, endorsing or promoting any drug therapy, course of treatment, or specific company or institution. It is crucial that care and treatment decisions related to Parkinson's disease and any other medical condition be made in consultation with a physician or other qualified medical professional.

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Diet & Nutrition | Parkinson's Disease

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