If you have PD why is what you eat of such great importance? The nutritional value of your food isn’t going to cure PD nor will it stop the progression. But it is important.
The moving through the complex maze of nutrition information becomes challenging, even for a healthy consumer. Those People with Parkinson’s disease these challenges spiral higher and the nutritional issues are complex and diverse, and many of the issues do not have clear answers.
Let’s face it to feel well and maintain good health and energy when we don’t eat properly is almost impossible even for people without PD. Proper diet is eating regularly (no meal skipping), eating a variety of foods from all of the food groups (grains, vegetables, fruit, milk/ dairy, meat/beans) as well as eating to maintain a healthy weight. This requires time and attention and a challenge to implement into a lifestyle to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s which will have an affect on your ability to shop, prepare food and eat.
PD has an effect on most of your overall health such as swallowing, smell and taste, constipation. Add taking the medication levodopa be aware absorption from the small intestine is affected by protein.
Malnutrition is a risk factor for those with PD, so diet is of the upmost importance in maintaining over good health, feeling good and staying out of the hospital. A word of caution the hospital stay can have a very negative impact on PD, as well as be traumatic. Be prepared and know that not all hospital staff understands the complexities of PD medications as well as the timing of medications as they have a scheduled routine which may not fit the timing of your PD medications.
PD affects each person differently so developing a diet that will provide the best nutrition for managing Parkinson’s is challenging. You must factor in age, gender, other medical conditions and the side effects impacting diet and health. Daunting when you consider things like blood pressure, allergies, diabetes, heart disease to name a few as well as the PD medications and those prescriptions from your Dr. and over the counter medications. Wow it becomes overwhelming on how to plan a diet.
- Unplanned weight loss: PD can affect the diet that often causes weight loss without meaning to, due to nausea, loss of appetite, depression, and slowed movement. This can weaken the immune system, muscle wasting, and loss of vital nutrients and risk of other diseases.
- Bowel Impaction: PD can slow the movement of the colon, causing constipation. This makes it extra important to get enough fiber in the daily diet. People with bowel impaction may require hospitalization, sometimes even surgery.
- Protein-Levodopa interactions: one of the most important medications used to treat PD is levodopa (Sinemet, Sinemet CR, Madopar, Dopar, Larodpopa, Prolopa, Syndopa). However levodopa must compete for absorption form the small intestine with proteins in food, and may be necessary to take care with the timing of meals and medications.
- Bone thinning: PD studies have shown that people with PD are at increased risk for bone thinning. Both men and women. Malnutrition, unplanned weight loss, and falls greatly increase the risk for bone fracture and other disabilities. As PD progresses, it can increase the likelihood of falls. It is especially important to eat meals providing bone strengthening nutrients-particularly calcium magnesium, and vitamins D and K. Also it is important to have regular exposure to sunlight (vitamin D) to strengthen bones and weight bearing joints, so exercise those joints by doing exercises liking walking and outdoors in the sunlight.
- Dehydration: PD medications can raise the risk of dehydration. Many people with PD don’t realize how important water is for your overall health. Dehydration can lead to confusion, weakness, balance problems, respirator and kidney failure and even death. Drink water, lots of water.
- Medication side effects: PD medications provide a very important role in management of PD but they can have unwanted side effects. Such as nausea, appetite loss, edema, compulsive eating. So monitor these carefully and if you see these side effects check with your Dr.
