Parkinson’s disease Parkinson’s patients who follow a healthy diet and engage in physical activity appear to fare well, with a recent study showing that both lifestyle behaviors reduce the risk of all-cause mortality.
The study used data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2012) and the Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2012). A total of 1,251 individuals diagnosed with PD (median age at diagnosis: 73.4 years, 52.1% male) and completed baseline dietary assessment were included. in the analysis.
Researchers examined risk of all-cause mortality, the study’s primary outcome, in relation to diet quality before and after diagnosis (Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)) and physical activity (hours of metabolic equivalent task (MET) per week), as indicated on questionnaires.
There were 942 participants who died during the 32 to 34 years of follow-up. The risk of death from all causes was significantly lower among patients in the highest AHEI quartile than the lowest quartile, both at pre-diagnosis (hazard ratio (HR), 0.69, confidence interval (CI ) at 95 percent, 0.56-0.85) than for post-diagnosis (HR, 0.57). , 95 percent CI, 0.42 to 0.78).
Similar results were obtained for physical activity, with lower risk among patients in the highest versus the lowest quartile of average cumulative MET hours per week (prediagnosis: HR, 0.71, CI 95% CI, 0.57–0.87; postdiagnosis: HR, 0.47, 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.63).
The beneficial effect of a healthy diet and physical activity was also observed on PD-specific mortality (post-diagnosis AHEI: HR, 0.52, 95 percent CI, 0.33-0. 80; post-diagnosis physical activity: HR, 0.37, 95 percent CI, 0.25-0.55).
In joint analyzes of diet quality and physical activity, the adjusted HR for all-cause death was 0.51 (95% CI, 0.36-0.73) for individuals belonging at the highest and lowest tertiles for both variables before diagnosis. In terms of diet quality and physical activity after diagnosis, the HR was 0.35 (95% CI, 0.23 to 0.52).
The results suggest that consumption of healthy foods and participation in physical activity or exercise could be targeted to improve PD outcomes.
