In the past decade, researchers have found associations between Ultracroced food and health problems such as heart conditions, type 2 diabetes, dementia And some types of cancer.
Now they add Parkinson’s disease To that list. In one Study published on Wednesday in the magazine NeurologyResearchers from the United States and China reported that people who consumed a lot of ultracrocedoedsels rather had the chance of early signs of the disease than people who consumed less of them.
The finding is an association, not evidence that ultracrocessed foods cause Parkinson’s disease, a progressive and incurable condition characterized by tremors, muscle stiffness and other symptoms.
But studies such as these are crucial for finding connections between what we eat and neurological diseases, Dr. Silke Appel Cresswell, a neurologist in the research center of the Pacific Parkinson’s at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in the study.
It has already been established that what we eat plays a role in developing conditions such as heart disease, she said, but “we are a bit catched up” when it comes to how it affects the health of the brain. “This is where we have to start.”
What the new study has found
Ultracrocessed food and drinks are made with ingredients that you would usually not find in a home kitchen. The category, including soft drinks, processed meat and many snacks, is good for More than half of the calories that adults in the United States consume.
For the study, the researchers investigated whether there was a connection between eating these foods and the development of early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. They include constipation, working out dreams while sleeping, a reduced capacity to smell, problems telling the difference between colors, depression and sleepiness during the day.
The researchers analyzed dietary questionnaire data from nearly 43,000 health workers in the United States from the mid -1980s to the mid -2000s. Every two to four years the participants, most of whom were white were asked about the species and quantities of foods they usually consumed. From 2012 they also reported their symptoms themselves.
The researchers discovered that participants who ate the most ultracrocessed food were about 2.5 times as much chance of at least three early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease compared to those who consumed the least.
If a person has these symptoms, this does not mean that he or she will develop the disease, but it may indicate brain changes that can lead to a diagnosis years later, Dr. Alberto Ascherio, a professor in epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health and an author of the study.
In one Previous studyDr. Ascherio and his colleagues discovered that older men who had three early Parkinson’s symptoms – constipation, their dreams and a reduced capacity to smell – had 23 times as chance of being diagnosed three years later compared to men who did not.
Dr. Appel Cresswell said that the study was strong because of the size, duration and use of detailed diet data collected for decades. It is important to investigate Parkinson’s disease early signs, she said, to help understand how changes in lifestyle can delay or prevent the disease.
Yet the study had some limitations, Dr. said Appel Cresswell. She said she would have liked to see data about ultracroced food consumption and the actual diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Ascherio said he and his colleagues are currently investigating that.
Dr. Appel Cresswell also noted that the diet data, although detailed, were reported by participants, so it cannot precisely reflect what and how much the participants ate. And other factors that were not included in the study, such as sleeping habits of the participants, could also have influenced their risk of the signs of Parkinson’s.
How ultracrocessed food can influence the brain
How can eating ultracrocessed food increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease? That is “the question of billion dollars,” said Dr. Ascherio.
Perhaps certain additives in ultracroced food or the chemicals in their packaging cause inflammation, cell damage or microbioma changes that eventually harm brain cells, he said.
It is also possible that people who eat more ultracrocessed food, miss healthier people, such as fruit, vegetables and legumes, who are rich in fiber, antioxidants and anti -inflammatory connections, said Puja Agarwal, a food pidiologist at Rush University in Chicago who was not involved in the study. Research suggest that following a diet gives priority to these foods, such as a Mediterranean dietis associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.
What is needed now, Dr. Appel Cresswell, his clinical tests with people who have early signs of Parkinson’s disease or have been established with it, to see if the adoption of a healthier diet can prevent the disease or delay whether the progression can delay. But given what we already know, she said, there are only advantages for consuming less ultra -priced food and more entire foods – and not just for the brain.
Dr. Agarwal agreed. “If you improve your diet, it’s not for one thing,” she said. “What you eat for your brain is also good for your heart is also good for your overall well -being.”
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