A recent study has shed light on the link between certain dietary habits and Parkinson’s disease, saying that people with the condition tend to consume more non-hydrogenated plant-based oils, olive oil, and mayonnaise compared to healthy individuals.
The study in Iran published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience underscores the growing focus on lifestyle factors that may impact the progression of Parkinson’s disease, which has seen a dramatic rise in prevalence worldwide over the past three decades.
The authors of the study aimed to explore how the consumption of cooking oils, both from animal and plant sources, as well as mayonnaise, affects Parkinson’s disease symptoms. The oils were divided into hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated types, with mayonnaise included because it contains a high amount of non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
The difference between hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated oils
Hydrogenated oil are plant-based oil and is a type of fat that food manufacturers use to keep foods fresher for longer. Hydrogenation is a process where manufacturers add hydrogen to a liquid fat, such as vegetable oil, to turn it into a solid fat at room temperature. Partially hydrogenated oil are also known as trans fats and they are not considered safe. On the other hand, fully hydrogenated fats or nearly completely hydrogenated, reduces the amount of trans fat in the final product. Canned frostings, baked goods, margarine sticks, coffee creamers, and snack foods have fully hydrogenated oils. Non-hydrogenated oilsincluding olive oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil, stay liquid at room temperature and are minimally processed.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
A chronic and progressive neurological disorder, Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time. Symptoms progress slowly with tremor in just one hand or sometimes a foot or the jaw. The disorder may also may cause stiffness, slowing of movement and trouble with balance that raises the risk of falls.
In the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, one may notice a reduced facial expression, a lack of arm movement while walking, and softer or slurred speech. As the disease progresses, the symptoms typically worsen.
It is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, especially in the substantia nigra region. The disease may also cause depression, sleep disturbances, constipation, and cognitive changes, which significantly impact quality of life.
Men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s than women and the risk increases with age, especially after 50 with average age of onset being 70. Having the history of disease in the family increases its probability.
Repeated head injuries is also among the risk factors.
What the study said about Parkinson’s link to consumption of oil
Diet and Parkinson’s disease may have an intricate connection and in the past research studies have linked consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables to slower progression of the disease while canned foods is connected with faster progression of the disease.
Around 120 Parkinson’s patients and 50 healthy people from Isfahan City, Iran aged between 40-80 years participated in the study with 66% of them being men. They were asked to fill a 147-item food frequency questionnaire, to assess their frequency and quantity of consuming different types of edible cooking oils and mayonnaise over the past year on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The severity of the Parkinson’s disease symptoms was analysed using the Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). The study authors also took into account participants’ height and weight.
It was discovered that patients with Parkinson’s disease consumed less hydrogenated plant oils but more non-hydrogenated plant-based oils, olive oil, and mayonnaise. Those who had severe Parkinson’s disease symptoms consumed higher amounts of animal oils and butter.
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