Nutritional traits in the prodromal phase of Parkinsons disease in community-dwelling older adults in Japan

The growing aging population means that increasing numbers of people are living with Parkinsons disease (PD). Although dopamine replacement is effective, there are currently no curative or disease-modifying treatments. Nutrition is a well-known environmental risk factor of PD. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between nutritional traits and the prodromal phase of PD. Subjects were enrolled from community-dwelling older adults. To identify individuals with prodromal PD (PPD), probability of PPD (PPP) and mild parkinsonian sign (MPS) assessments were used. Nutritional status was evaluated using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire form. Intakes of total energy, the three major nutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrate), B vitamins, water, and dietary fiber were calculated. Nutrient intake in PPD was analyzed using analysis of covariance with age and sex as covariates. We enrolled 305 subjects. The prevalence of older adults living with PPD was 4.1% by PPP [≥] 0.3 and 21.0% by MPS criteria. Compared with subjects without PPD, individuals with PPP [≥] 0.3 had significantly higher fat intake (33.4 {+/-} 8.8 vs. 29.3 {+/-} 6.7 g/1000 kcal/day, p=0.037) and lower carbohydrate intake (121.4 {+/-} 19.0 vs. 132.1 {+/-} 17.7 g/1000 kcal/day, p=0.039), and MPS-positive subjects had significantly lower total energy intake (1817.5 {+/-} 384.7 vs. 1933.7 {+/-} 433.7 kcal/day, p=0.012). In this community-based cross-sectional study, nutritional traits differed between older individuals with and without PPD; these differences were more pronounced when the PPP was used to evaluate PPD. Nutrition and diet may thus modify PD incidence.