New Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease Uses Nutrition to Slow Progression

A new treatment for Parkinson’s disease is available and in reach for many living with the disease. Bastyr University Research Institute Senior Clinical Scientist Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH, conducted a 10-year study with 2,290 Parkinson’s disease patients, with a focus on modifiable variables in Parkinsonism (MVP) including dietary and lifestyle factors associated with a slower progression of the disease. This new publication revealed the behaviors surrounding 21 food-related choices. The PRO-21 diet was able to predict Parkinson’s disease symptom severity over a decade, outperforming the MIND and Mediterranean diets. The greater the adherence to the PRO-21 diet, the fewer  motor and non-motor symptoms participants reported over the 10 years. The PRO-21 diet emphasizes:

• Organically grown food when possible.
• Homemade, rather than store prepared or restaurant foods.
• Liberal use of spices.
• Nuts and seeds; olive oil; fresh fruit; fresh vegetables; seafood; moderate coffee and wine consumption

A list of PRO-21 favored foods of best nutrition for Parkinson’s includes:

Recommended Foods for Parkinson’s Disease Patients

The PRO-21 Diet for Parkinson’s disease patients emphasizes plant-based, whole foods. Patients whose diets include these foods all the time or most of the time showed slower progression of Parkinson’s when measured over a 10-year period. Proteins and Fats to Slow Parkinson’s progression

• Nuts and seeds – ½ cup daily
• Olive Oil – 2 Tablespoons daily
• Fish and shellfish – 2 x per week

Fresh Produce to slow Parkinson’s progression

• Fresh vegetables – ½ cup daily
• Fresh fruit – 1 cup or two medium fruits daily

Beverages to low Parkinson’s progression

• Water (filtered preferred) – 60 – 100 ounces daily
• Coffee – 8 ounce serving 2 x / day or more
• Wine – 8 ounces 2 x per week

Foods to Avoid if You Have Parkinson’s Disease

As you might expect, if you have Parkinson’s disease, it is best to avoid processed and refined foods.  In some cases, even one serving of processed food per month was enough to be able to measure worse outcomes. Foods associated with faster progression of Parkinson’s disease include:

• Dairy – milk, cream, butter, yogurt, cream cheese, ice cream
• Meat – chicken, pork, and beef
• Fried foods – chips, French fries, donuts, etc.
• Refined grains – bread, pasta, pastries, crackers, etc.
• Canned foods – beans, sauces, vegetables, soups, etc.
• Sugar and artificial sweeteners
• Juice – fruit, vegetable, and smoothies
• Soda – diet or regular

Alternative Treatments for Parkinson’s

If you have Parkinson’s disease, you’re probably open to trying things to slow its progression. And it’s important to maintain quality of life. Making memories through shared food experiences is part of living well. Dr. Laurie Mischley and Dr. Magdelena Murawska, the Parkinson’s disease researchers behind the PRO-21 diet, included ways to make non-aligned foods work. They recommend “joy swaps” to keep the essence of  indulgence foods and empower Parkinson’s patients who use the PRO-21 diet.

• Create one amazing experience per month with foods that are not recommended. For instance, if you love French fries, make eating them a real event.  Walk into the restaurant with the best fries. Order the fries. Sit down and savor the experience.
• If you’re missing the flavor of foods that can hasten the progression of Parkinson’s disease, explore swaps with similar flavors. Try mushrooms to get a beefy flavor. Using the fries example, consider swapping baked sweet potato wedges with olive oil and spices. This kind of PRO-21 diet eating helps slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
• Focus on cultivating joy around PRO-21 diet foods that help you feel better. Splurge on your favorite organic fruit or a special nut butter. Make coffee a ritual or even center of a get together with someone you love.

Your Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease and the PRO-21 Diet

Each of us experiences Parkinson’s disease differently. There are also a number of  common pharmaceutical treatments for Parkinson’s disease. There are no contra-indications that researchers identified for patients who take common pharmaceuticals for Parkinson’s and who use the PRO-21 diet.  In fact, it is likely the PRO-21 diet complements many treatments for Parkinson's including.

Parkinson’s Research and the PRO-21 Diet

There is a sharp rise happening in Parkinson’s diagnoses in the U.S. and Canada. Many researchers connect the rise in Parkinson’s disease diagnoses to environmental factors, which may trigger the Parkinson’s in some people. Thinking of Parkinson’s disease as a whole-body disease is a helpful way to contextualize and understand the connection to .  In addition to her work developing the PRO-21 diet for Parkinson’s, Lead Researcher Dr. Laurie Mischley’s work includes a study of Intranasal Glutathione in Parkison’s Disease which was sponsored by a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Dr. Mischley is the founder of the Parkinson’s School.