Oxidative Stress

[Dehlia]

I have PD. I was hoping someone could recommend a diet that would combat further

neurological damage starting in my gut.

[Cooper27 Administrator]

Hi Dehlia, I'm sorry to hear you've had a bad diagnosis - can I double check PD means Parkinson's Disease?

I'm not familiar with the illness myself, but I believe there are a couple of Parkinsons Disease related forums on the site for the illness, where you may get something more tailored for you.

I think any illnesses that start from the gut, suggest that you have a leaky gut. It's hard to know what causes leaky gut, but I've personally seen a lot of improvement in my own from following an autoimmune protocol diet. I accompanied it with probiotics, and am starting to look more towards fermented food/drink (such as Kombucha and Water Kefir), which are cheaper sources of probiotic bacteria.

This may be a bit restrictive, but I think even following the basic principles of the diet (to cut out ultra-processed foods and increase your veg intake) are worth adopting if nothing else.

Because I'm not familiar with your illness though, I would have to suggest you look for personal experiences from others who do have it. I don't want to recommend anything that could make matters worse for you.

[Dehlia in reply to Cooper27]

Yes PD is Parkinson’s.

I try to keep abreast with recent dialogue.

I’m crossing over to your forum from the HealthUnlocked PD forum.

I would expect others, more fluent than myself, will be following suit, since there’s

a popular theory that associates your gut as the responsible party to this neurological condition.

One notion that would determine my diet restriction is; protein interferes with medication, competing for the pathway to the brain.

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Dehlia]

That's interesting! I wasn't aware that protein could interfere with medication in this way. Are there any types of protein in particular, or is it all protein?

The theory with autoimmune disease (and there seems to be debate about whether PD is autoimmune) is that food protein strains cross the gut barrier, which triggers the immune system to react, then the immune system gets confused and starts an autoimmune attack on the body's own functions instead.

If you wish to work out whether any foods are triggering for yourself, the best way to do it is by an elimination diet. The most common foods to avoid first are gluten, dairy and soya. It's worth avoiding them for a least a month, and then reintroducing one at a time. Wait 3 days to see if you get any symptoms (including headache, rash etc).

[Praveen55 Star]

Consider Ketogenic Diet in consultation with your Doctor. You may find the link below useful:

drperlmutter.com/ketogenic-...

[Dehlia in reply to Praveen55]

Thank you

[andyswarbs]

When I hear the phrase oxidative stress then I am thinking anti-oxidants. You should be eating anything high in anti-oxidants until it is coming out of your ears! So you should be packing in the fruit and veg high at each and every meal. Go for brightly coloured foods such as deep red, deep greens because that's where the anti-oxidants are etc etc. Go for fresh or frozen, not dried. Check out Dr Joel Furhman & the nutritarian approach to eating if you want more info in that direction.

Here is one paper on nutrients and oxidative stress. I haven't studied it in detail, it just came up in a google search. hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2.... One line does hit out at me, "Substantial evidence highlights the detrimental impact of diets high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fat [7]." So this research seems worthy of checking out in particular since it implies you should remove any and all saturated fats and refined carbs from your diet.

The parkinson's webpage parkinson.org/blog/research... has a suggestion that you should consider organic foods to reduce pesticide intake.

[Dehlia in reply to andyswarbs]

Ty I appreciate your response. When I get out of work I’ll post. Joe

[Zest]

Hi Dehlia

I just wanted to welcome you to the Healthy eating forum, and I'm glad you've joined us. I hope you'll enjoy participating.

Zest

[amykp]

Ketogenic diet.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

charliefoundation.org/keto-... ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

For your gut? (and your brain) Lots of green veggies, lots of fiber. The two things are not mutually exclusive! Keto is not all meat!

I have PD too. I've managed to stay clear of symptoms--without medication--a long time...longer than anyone I know. The diet's not easy, but it's doable.

[Dehlia in reply to amykp]

First let me thank everyone that responded. That took the time to

share and educate me.

I’m excited about the Ketogenic diet.

Unfortunately my neurologist is away on maternity leave until January. Can I start on my own?

I was a cancer patient at Yale New Haven hospital five years ago. They have someone to contact. After surgery I opted not to have radiation or chemotherapy but went on the Budwig Protocol diet. This diet uses whole fat cottage cheese to transport omega rich flaxseed oil and ground flax seed. It cured me.

Thanks again.

[amykp]

I did not check with my doctor, no. It is not a dangerous diet. But I did tell my doctor what I was doing at my next visit and she was impressed with my progress!