A diet high in fat disrupts metabolism, promotes insulin spikes, diabetes and obesity. But, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Journal of Neurochemistry, it also accelerates the onset of symptoms of Parkinson disease.
The researchers conducted their research with mice genetically predisposed to developing Parkinson’s disease.
Rodents that were fed a diet high in fat became obese and diabetic. But, this overconsumption of fat has also accelerated the appearance of neurological symptoms typical of Parkinson’s disease (tremors and difficulty moving and performing everyday actions) and increased the premature deaths of guinea pigs.
“Further studies are needed to understand more precisely the causal links between diet and the onset of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease” explains Carola Rotermund, researcher at the Department of Biology at the University of Tübingen in Germany. “But, obesity induced by an unbalanced diet too rich in fat could be an environmental risk factor for all neurodegenerative diseases linked to the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein, such as Parkinson’s disease”.
The Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in France, after Alzheimer’s disease.
It manifests itself by tremors and difficulty moving and performing everyday actions. It comes from a decrease in the brain’s production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter necessary for good movement control.
Every hour, a new case of Parkinson’s is detected in our country. Today, more than 150,000 people suffer from it in the country and, contrary to popular belief, it is not a disease reserved for the elderly since 20% of patients are under 50 years old.
