Protective effects of modified Mediterranean diet in patients with Parkinson's disease

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of modifying the Mediterranean diet, to improve motor and cognitive disabilities in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, in addition to their usual pharmacological therapy. Background: Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting roughly 1% of individuals over age 60 in North America and Europe. Previous studies have indicated that environmental factors play a major role in the onset and evolution of PD. The largest prospective study of dietary patterns identified a Mediterranean-like diet (MeDi) as protective (Gao et al, 2007). Methods: Fifty Patients with idiopathic PD were studied. Twenty-five patients (mean age 71.5±8.4 years) received a dissociated low-calorie and low-protein diet, devoid of tyramine and phenylalanine, containing foods with high ellagic acid levels and curcuma as a spice, named modified Mediterranean diet (moMeDi), (A group); a parallel group of twenty-five PD patients (mean age 69.1±9.8 years) received a simple Mediterranean diet (MeDi) [low-calorie diet] (B group). Both groups were followed for 6 months with weekly checks. An analysis of nutritional parameters was carried out mainly by investigating height/body weight ratios, and the % of weekly changes in weight, index weighting, body circumferences and skinfold thickness. Moreover total body water, extracellular/intracellular water, lean body mass, fat mass, weight ratio, slim/fat metabolically active mass, and basal metabolic rate (calories), were analyzed, using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the two groups concerning gender, age, disease duration, Hoehn & Yahr score, cognitive performance, mood disorders, levodopa dose, or levodopa equivalent daily dose (Fig. 1).At 6 months, nutritional parameters and neurological status had significantly improved in A group A (P = 0.0199) compared with B group (Fig. 2A, 2B). Conclusions: Our findings support evidence on the protective effects of supplemented Mediterranean diet (moMeDi) in PD, as the evaluations performed reflect a better global results in A group compared with B group who received a simple Medi. So, moMeDi is a good candidate for non-drug therapy in addition to dopaminergic therapy.