Nutritional Risk Factors, Microbiota and Parkinson’s Disease: What Is the Current Evidence?

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a frequent neurodegenerative disease among elderly people. Genetic and underlying environmental factors seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of PD related to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the striatum. In previous experimental researches oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, homocysteine, and neuroinflammation have been reported as potential mechanisms. Among environmental factors, nutrition is one of the most investigated areas as it is a potentially modifiable factor. The purpose of this review is to provide current knowledge regarding the relation between diet and PD risk. We performed a comprehensive review including the most relevant studies from the year 2000 onwards including prospective studies, nested case-control studies, and meta-analysis. Among dietary factors we focused on specific nutrients and food groups, alcoholic beverages, uric acid, and dietary patterns. Furthermore, we included studies on microbiota as recent findings have shown a possible impact on neurodegeneration. As a conclusion, there are still many controversies regarding the relationship between PD and diet which, beside methodological differences among studies, may be due to underlying genetic and gender-specific factors. However, some evidence exists regarding a potential protective effect of uric acid, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, coffee, and tea but mainly in men, whereas dairy products, particularly milk, might increase PD risk through contaminant mediated effect.

Beneficial Effects of Epigallocatechin-3-O-Gallate, Chlorogenic Acid, Resveratrol, and Curcumin on Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…A recent review including prospective studies, nested case-control studies, and meta-analysis to know the relation between diet and PD risk, Boulos et al [ 99 ] found some evidence regarding a potential protective effect of uric acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, coffee, and tea. In fact, many epidemiological studies indicated tea’s beneficial effect on PD.…”

Propolis as a Potential Disease-Modifying Strategy in Parkinson’s disease: Cardioprotective and Neuroprotective Effects in the 6-OHDA Rat Model

“…Hence, new treatment options for alleviating disease impact remain an unmet need in PD. Environmental factors seem to exert a pivotal role in PD progression and, among them, lifestyle-related factors, such as nutrition, have been widely studied areas due to their potential beneficial roles in the management of PD [ 24 , 25 ]. Natural products are potential candidates for novel adjunctive therapeutic approaches and have gained prominence in the literature, such as ginseng [ 26 , 27 ], curcumin [ 28 , 29 ], cannabidiol [ 30 , 31 ], green/black tea [ 32 , 33 ], and coffee [ 34 , 35 ].…”

Synergistic Effects of Milk-Derived Exosomes and Galactose on α-Synuclein Pathology in Parkinson’s Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…Notably, in contrast to milk intake, increased serum uric acid levels, coffee and green tea consumption and smoking reduce the risk of PD [ 95 , 96 ]. Recent evidence underlines that urate, caffeine, green tea polyphenols and nicotine all promote autophagy.…”