Around 90,000 new cases of Parkinson\u2019s disease are diagnosed in the US each year \u2014 the neurodegenerative disorder is commonly associated with slow movement, tremors, stiffness and difficulty walking.
\n
\nMind your mind!<\/p>\n
Experts suggest that physical activity and a balanced diet can help lower Parkinson\u2019s risk. A new study supports that guidance, finding that people who consume a lot of ultra-processed foods are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson\u2019s than those who eat less junk food. \u201cThere\u2019s growing evidence that diet might influence the development of Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d said study author Dr. Xiang Gao of the Institute of Nutrition at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Nearly 43,000 volunteers with an average age of 48, who did not have Parkinson\u2019s at the start of the study, were followed for up to 26 years. Before tremors and other symptoms, early signs of Parkinson\u2019s include REM sleep behavior disorder, constipation, depression, pain, impaired color vision, excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced ability to smell. Orawan \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\n UPFs included sauces, spreads, condiments, packaged sweets, snacks, desserts, artificially or sugar-sweetened beverages and animal-based products. The researchers also watched for early signs of Parkinson\u2019s in the participants, including REM sleep behavior disorder, constipation, depression, pain, impaired color vision, excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced ability to smell. The findings were published online Wednesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the\u00a0American Academy of Neurology. Q: What is Parkinson\u2019s disease? Introduction to Parkinson’s Disease Around 90,000 new cases of Parkinson\u2019s disease are diagnosed in the US each year \u2014 the neurodegenerative disorder is commonly associated with slow movement, tremors, stiffness and difficulty walking. Mind your mind! Understanding the Impact of Diet on Parkinson’s Experts suggest that physical activity and a balanced diet can help lower […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":17419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F05%2Fnewspress-collage-er0kdmru6-1746639106302.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261746624824&w=1920&resize=1920,1279&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17418"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17420,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17418\/revisions\/17420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAround 90,000 new cases of Parkinson\u2019s disease are diagnosed in the US each year \u2014 the neurodegenerative disorder is commonly associated with slow movement, tremors, stiffness and difficulty walking. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\nThe Role of Ultra-Processed Foods<\/h3>\n
\n\u201cOur research shows that eating too much processed food, like sugary sodas and packaged snacks, might be speeding up early signs of Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\nMethodology of the Study<\/h2>\n
\nParticipants underwent regular medical exams, completed health questionnaires and maintained a food diary every two to four years.
\nResearchers calculated the number of UPF servings they ate on an average day.<\/p>\nEarly Signs of Parkinson’s<\/h3>\n
Ultra-Processed Foods and Their Impact<\/h2>\n
\nA serving was equivalent to a can of soda, 1 ounce of potato chips, a slice of cake, a hot dog or a tablespoon of ketchup.
\nParticipants were split into five groups \u2014 the highest group ate 11 or more daily servings, while the lowest group ate fewer than three servings a day.<\/p>\nStudy Findings<\/h3>\n
\nAfter adjusting for factors such as age and exercise levels, participants in the highest UPF group had a 2.5-fold higher likelihood of having three or more of these early signs than those in the lowest UPF group.
\nUltra-processed foods include sauces, spreads, condiments, packaged sweets, snacks, desserts, artificially or sugar-sweetened beverages and animal-based products. vaaseenaa \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cChoosing to eat fewer processed foods and more whole, nutritious foods could be a good strategy for maintaining brain health,\u201d Gao said. \u201cMore studies are needed to confirm our finding that eating less processed food may slow down the earliest signs of Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u201d
\nUPFs often contain lots of calories, sugar,\u00a0salt\u00a0and unhealthy fats. They can trigger inflammation in the brain that disrupts brain function, increasing the risk of brain disorders like Parkinson\u2019s and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.
\nRecent research also tied UPFs to higher risks of psoriasis, depression and even early death.<\/p>\nFAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: Parkinson\u2019s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder commonly associated with slow movement, tremors, stiffness, and difficulty walking.
\nQ: How many new cases of Parkinson\u2019s disease are diagnosed in the US each year?
\nA: Around 90,000 new cases of Parkinson\u2019s disease are diagnosed in the US each year.
\nQ: What can help lower Parkinson\u2019s risk?
\nA: Physical activity and a balanced diet can help lower Parkinson\u2019s risk.
\nQ: What are ultra-processed foods?
\nA: Ultra-processed foods include sauces, spreads, condiments, packaged sweets, snacks, desserts, artificially or sugar-sweetened beverages, and animal-based products.
\nQ: Can eating ultra-processed foods increase the risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease?
\nA: Yes, eating ultra-processed foods can increase the risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease by triggering inflammation in the brain and disrupting brain function.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"