Diet and Exercise Associated with Reduced Mortality in Parkinson Disease

Could a healthy diet and physical activity be used to improve PD outcomes? The answer may be yes.

This study examined whether diet quality and physical activity levels before and after Parkinson disease (PD) diagnosis are associated with all-cause mortality. The study focused on male participants from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986 to 2012) and female participants in the Nurses' Health Study (1984 to 2012). Diet quality was measured with the validated Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and activity was measured with validated questionnaires, converted to metabolic equivalents (METs). Mortality was the primary outcome variable.

During follow-up, 1251 participants (52.1% male) were diagnosed with PD. Better diet, measured both before and after PD diagnosis, was associated with lower mortality (adjusted hazard ratio fo…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)