Ultra-processed food found strongly linked to early onset Parkinson’s

People who regularly eat ultra-processed food may be at a higher risk of developing early signs of Parkinson’s disease than those who don’t, a new study suggests.

Ultra-processed food includes mass-produced bread, crisps, cereals, and fizzy drinks which contain preservatives, artificial colours and flavours as well as additives like emulsifiers.

Previous studies have linked frequent consumption of ultra-processed food to health problems such as obesity, heart illness, cancer, and early death.

Now, a study published in the journal Neurology suggests that regularly eating ultra-processed food is strongly linked to early signs of Parkinson’s disease, which could progress into more serious symptoms like tremors and slowed movement.

“Our research shows that eating too much processed food, like sugary sodas and packaged snacks, might be speeding up early signs of Parkinson’s disease,” Xiang Gao, an author of the study from Fudan University in China, said.

“Eating a healthy diet is crucial as it has been associated with a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases and the dietary choices we make today can significantly influence our brain health in the future.”

The study assessed 43,000 people with an average age of 48 who did not have Parkinson’s initially. Their health status was tracked for 26 years with regular questionnaires and medical exams.

Researchers looked out for the participants’ sleep behaviour, constipation, depressive symptoms, body pain, impairment in colour vision, excessive daytime sleepiness, and reduced ability to smell to determine if they had early signs of Parkinson’s.

They also had the participants complete a food diary every two to four years, detailing what they ate and how often.

Researchers calculated each person’s average daily intake of ultra-processed food and divided them into five categories on the basis of how much of it they ate.

The first group ate 11 or more servings of ultra-processed food per day on average and the lowest-ranked category fewer than three servings a day.

The first group had a 2.5-fold higher chance of having three or more early signs of Parkinson’s disease compared to people consuming fewer than three servings a day, researchers found.

This was after adjusting for factors such as age, physical activity and smoking.

Researchers also found that eating more ultra-processed food was strongly linked to a greater risk for nearly all symptoms except constipation. “Choosing to eat fewer processed foods and more whole, nutritious foods could be a good strategy for maintaining brain health,” Dr Gao said.

Citing a limitation of the study, researchers said the participants self-reported the amount of ultra-processed food they ate, meaning they might not have accurately remembered how much they ate.

“More studies are needed,” Dr Gao noted, “to confirm our finding that eating less processed food may slow down the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease.”