What we know about avoiding particular foods & supplements for Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson's disease need to be careful about drinking alcohol because it can make their balance worse. If you have mild Parkinson's and no problems with balance, it's okay to drink a moderate amount of alcohol. But if you have balance issues or more advanced Parkinson's, it's best to limit your alcohol intake. Some people with Parkinson's may have trouble absorbing their medication if they eat a lot of protein. This is called the "protein effect." To find out if you have the protein effect, you may need to experiment by adjusting your protein intake and observing how your medication works. If you do have the protein effect, you can try either eating all your protein at the end of the day or dividing it evenly throughout the day to see what works best for you. If you're not taking medication for Parkinson's, you don't need to worry about your protein intake. Iron supplements can bind with levodopa and thereby reduce the amount of medication that is absorbed in your system. If you require iron supplementation because of another medical condition, discuss this with your doctor so you can determine how to most effectively get the iron you need while not impacting your PD medications. Tyramine: Some medications for Parkinson's disease (PD) are called monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitors. Some patients taking non-selective MAO inhibitors, which inhibit both MAO-A and MAO-B, need to follow a low tyramine diet. This is because when MAO-A is inhibited, the body can no longer break down tyramine effectively, which can cause spikes in blood pressure and other negative effects. However, there are no medications indicated for PD that inhibit MAO-A. At the recommended doses for PD, MAO-B inhibitors break down tyramine effectively, and a low tyramine diet is not required. However, some foods contain very high amounts of tyramine, which could potentially cause severe hypertension. It is important to note that most foods containing tyramine do not contain this high of an amount, and avoiding these high-tyramine foods is reasonable for someone on an MAO-B inhibitor. Vitamin B6 interacts with the medications carbidopa and levodopa, which are commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease. Vitamin B6 can either help or hinder the conversion of levodopa to dopamine, depending on the situation. Usually, a healthy diet and standard doses of carbidopa/levodopa will result in good symptom control and normal Vitamin B6 levels. However, poor nutrition or high doses of medication can cause Vitamin B6 deficiency, which can lead to anaemia, depression, confusion, and other symptoms. Vitamin B6 supplementation can help in these cases. Vitamin B12 is also important, and deficiency in this vitamin is common among the elderly population and those with Parkinson's disease. It can cause a range of symptoms, including fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, memory problems, and depression. It's important to talk to your doctor about checking your Vitamin B6 and B12 levels and supplementing appropriately if needed. Studies have found a slightly increased risk of PD in individuals who consume high amounts of dairy compared to those who consume low amounts. However, the reason for this association remains unknown, and it's important to note that these studies do not examine the effects of dairy on individuals who already have PD. It's crucial to understand that while an association exists between dairy and PD, it does not prove that consuming dairy causes an elevated risk of PD. There could be an unrelated link between dairy and PD that explains the connection, such as a genetic predisposition to both. Two unproven theories are that dairy may contain a pesticide that increases PD risk or that it may lower uric acid levels, which is known to be protective against PD. On the other hand, dairy is a significant source of calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients that are crucial for bone strength, which can reduce the likelihood of fractures in individuals with PD who are prone to falls. Additionally, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to PD, so eliminating a dietary source of calcium and vitamin D could be detrimental to individuals with PD. In conclusion, there is not enough information to make a specific dietary recommendation regarding dairy for individuals with PD. Next week, we will discuss what we do and do not know about particular foods and supplements that are commonly discussed for individuals with PD.