Parkinson’s is a progressive degenerative disease of the nervous system that usually starts between age 45 and 65. Although it can be caused by prior head trauma, it most often is due to depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine, produced by cells in a certain area of the brain. Levodopa (L-dopa) is an amino acid that is a precursor to dopamine that is used as a pharmaceutical to treat Parkinson’s.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about this disease. Today’s column is about what we know about diet and Parkinson’s.

Diet and cause of Parkinson’s disease

• According to experts such as Michael Greger, M.D. (nutriitonfacts.org, “How Not to Die”), there is a clear link between environmental neurotoxins such as pesticides and Parkinson’s. These are pervasive in the modern world, and the best way to avoid them is to eat at the bottom of the food chain by eating plants and avoiding animal products. If you eat meat, you get 15 times more environmental toxins compared to sticking to plants; with dairy it’s 5.5 times.
• For reasons unrelated to environmental toxins people who eat animal products have a higher incidence of Parkinson’s compared with people who are plant-based. Milk and other dairy products have a particularly strong link to Parkinson’s.
• Damage to the lining of the upper GI tract such as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) raises Parkinson’s risk by 76 percent. And GERD is primarily a diet-related disease, although NSAIDS such as ibuprofen can play a role.

Diet, prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s

• Nicotine helps prevent Parkinson’s, but it’s well-known that chewing and smoking nicotine causes other health problems. Certain foods such as peppers contain natural nicotine are a healthy way to ingest it.
• Flavonoids in intensely colored fruit (e.g. berries) and vegetables help prevent Parkinson’s.
• People who drink at least 2 cups of black coffee daily (equivalent to 4 cups of black or 8 cups of green tea) have a lower rate of Parkinson’s, and have improvement in Parkinson’s symptoms if they already have it.
• Beans — particularly fava beans — have natural L-dopa. Before eating a lot of fava beans be sure to have a genetic test for G6PD deficiency, a genetic abnormality that can cause a serious reaction with intake of fava beans. In poor countries fava beans are an affordable way to treat Parkinson’s without pharmaceuticals.
• Protein restriction enhances the therapeutic effects of L-dopa.
• Fiber—found in plant but not animal products — increases L-dopa.

Gut microbiome and the brain-gut connection

There are some 36 trillion bacteria in the human colon, which can contribute to mental and physical health or cause illness. An abnormal gut microbiome, called dysbiosis, plays a role in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression, and MS among other maladies. Dysbiosis causes leaky gut, that allows harmful substances to enter the bloodstream. It also damages a protein in the gut called alpha-synuclein, which travels to the brain via the vagus nerve, resulting in Lewy bodies in the brain which are found in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s and dementia.

The diet that produces a health-promoting gut microbiome is plant-based, whole food — consisting of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Refined food, animal products, salt, sugar, and oil harm the microbiome, as do antibiotics. It takes a year for the gut microbiome to fully recover from a course of antibiotics, although fermented foods can speed the recovery.

Dr. Greg Feinsinger is a retired family physician who started the non-profit Center For Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition. For questions or to schedule a free consultation about nutrition or heart attack prevention contact him at gfmd41@gmail.com or 970-379-5718.