Diet and PD

[MissRita]

Good morning all! Curious about dietary choices for people with PD. I know that there’s a lot of talk about intermittent fasting and keto diet and other types of diets. I’m just kind of curious what folks are doing and terms of their current diet? Any information would greatly be appreciated!

[ElliotGreen]

See page 4 of this study. Foods high on the list are associated with slower disease progression. Low on the list, faster disease progression.

Mischley, Laurie K., Richard C. Lau, and Rachel D. Bennett. "Role of diet and nutritional supplements in Parkinson’s disease progression." Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity 2017 (2017).

downloads.hindawi.com/journ...

[Enidah]

Reading that link it seems like common sense to me. I would have to say that I was eating almost no dairy when I got diagnosed because I am lactose intolerant and have been a vegetarian for many years also. I have recently gotten much less picky about my diet because I’ve lost 20 pounds in the last year or so. I don’t like this because I wasn’t overweight and I have read that women have less dyskinesia when they are a little heavier. I have a hard time finding things that appeal to my appetite. I am trying to eat more carbohydrates and lactose free dairy.

[2bats]

I eat basically a Carnivore Diet with very low carbs and take no meds. I used to eat lots of carbs and fructose which I partially blame for my Parkinson’s Disease.

[Dehlia]

No carbs. No dairy. n

Try to stick with the Wahls Protocol.

[Buckholt]

Fasting is thought to promote autophagy, (removal of damaged cells and regeneration). Could be worth trying and not eating between say 8 pm and 1 pm the next day perhaps not too difficult?

[MissRita in reply to Buckholt]

Thank you. I am slowly getting to that point as well. Plus when I have done in the past it just makes you feel better.

[PDGal4]

I have been back and forth on diet. I ate gluten-free for close to a year, but really missed pasta enormously. I found some good gluten-free pastas, but when it came to Italian food, my body wanted the real deal. What was beneficial about my gluten-free year, I think, was eliminating sweets, since cookies, cakes, and pastries are full of gluten.

Like Enidah, I am lactose intolerant so eat no ice cream, milk, yogurt (which I don't like), etc. I can eat cheese and do, but it is not the main part of the meal, more a condiment. I've also experimented with vegetarianism over my lifetime.

I've seen Mischley's list--I'm actually a part of the study that reports to her 4 times a year on eating--and do seem to be eating in a manner that slows progression. We cook a lot, almost every night, with fresh farm or organic ingredients. Never anything canned, except for occasional chick peas or other beans, rarely drink soda. I still limit carbs/gluten, have been eating (but not often) a sour dough bread I've found that is made with a sour dough starter, not yeast. I limit protein during the day as it affects my med absorption. There's a fabulous fish store near me that sells only fresh fish and we generally cook fish 2-3 times a week for dinner. I also cook with tons of olive oil and we have a glass or two of wine with dinner.

Like Enidah, I've also lost weight, about 15-18 pounds in last year or two that I didn't need to lose. Not heard about the connection to dyskinesia, but makes sense. However, wondering which came first, chicken or the egg. Dyskinesia burns up a lot of calories.

Great topic!

[MissRita in reply to PDGal4]

Thank you!

[MissRita in reply to PDGal4]

Where is the list?

[ElliotGreen in reply to MissRita]

See my first comment.

[MissRita]

Thank you. I am slowly getting to that point as well. Plus when I have done in the past it just makes you feel better.

[awranck]

Morning Everyone! I’m 66 and was diagnosed 2 years ago. I take Sinemet 25/100 three times per day. It works really well! I’m able to move freely, play piano, draw... all things that were lost. So far, I do not have a tremor. However - the downside... Sinemet acts as a powerful appetite stimulant for me. Food tastes wonderful and I experience constant hunger. Worse, it causes an extreme craving for sweets. In my first year on Sinemet, I quickly gained 20 pounds. I tried everything to control my appetite and lose the weight. Finally, 6 months ago, I began intermittent fasting. It has helped tremendously. I have 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the am and then my one meal of the day between 2 and 6 in the afternoon. 800 to 1200 calories Mediterranean type diet. I do not dare touch sweets except for fresh fruit. This was extremely difficult for the first 4 or 5 days but after a week, my body adjusted and I settled in quite easily. This regimen has brought my appetite under control. The miserable constant hunger has disappeared and so far I have lost 10 of the 20 lbs. I gained. Also, I find that eating less protein and taking Sinemet on an empty stomach increases its effectiveness. I have written a lot here, but this has been an awful struggle for me. I hope my experience helps someone! Have any of you experienced an increase in your appetite because of your medication?

[gilesyassin]

As my PD progressed I looked at my diet and realized that it could be optimized to achieve 3 goals:

1) faster digestion

2) lower interactions between food and Sinemet in order to make each dose more reliable

3) reduction of toxins in my body

By switching to an organic vegan diet I believe that i have accomplished all 3.

[MissRita in reply to gilesyassin]

Great reply! Any suggestions in terms of books or lists for a vegan diet? I have hashimotos as well so auto immune is also a factor. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

[gilesyassin in reply to MissRita]

Please take a look at the following post. I ended up buying the book by Steve Blake, ScD, which contains a ton of useful practical info about diet and adopting its principles.

The big insight for me was Blake' concept of excess dietary protein.

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

[MarionP]

I think you just load up on the leafy greens as a habit, also eggs (without the bacon and butter) for the protein in the whites. This is for the tyrosine, the precursor molecule that passes the blood-brain barrier to help produce whatever your dopamine-producing cells can do...dopamine itself, while it can help your motor neuron cells (they exist in the "periphery") cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, ironically, but its precursor phenylalanine CAN...and you need both good dopamine on both sides of the BBB barrier. If you have the motor or tremor problems, then also include eating fava beans and a nice chianti, for the dopamine that can at least circulate in the periphery, where your muscles might make use of it.

Plus, to aid that production of dopamine in the brain and in the periphery both, a little bit of vitamin D3, (and of course the oft-talked about B1 HCL), a little bit of magnesium, both of which allow you to expand the "rate-limiting" factors of metabolizing and producing the dopamine that will help in both CNS and extra-pyramidal (motor neurons, outside the blood-brain barrier) dopamine production.

Beyond that, we just have to watch and wait for things that will help slow the substanta nigra degradation of its ability to produce dopamine or at least retard it's uptake. Excercise too, don't just focus on diet, please please please. Until we see better sources, Mucuna pruriens seems to offer the most consistently demonstrated (by testimonials, mind you, not experiments) supplemental benefit. so add it to the above, Just my two cents worth.

[NZkites]

Hi

I am on the Keto Diet and finding it beneficial.

Check out the study here.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

The youtube of his presentation to the Waikato Parkinsons support group

youtube.com/watch?v=O2yJAqR...(Not working as expected?)