Parkinson's disease: what lifestyle? What to eat ?

THE meal punctuates the days, they are a source of energy but also of pleasure and sharing. In Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that severely affects life and handicaps more than 270,000 people in France, no food should be avoided. L’food plays an essential role pour maintaining well-being and fight against the adverse effects of the disease.

It’s important to talk about your pace of life with your neurologist because the latter tend to give precise times for medicines, which do not correspond to patients’ schedules. For example: if medication must be taken at 8 p.m. and the person usually eats at 7 p.m., they should not eat before 8:30 p.m. However, they risk eating beforehand anyway, which will lead to digestive competition. with medications or eating very little, increasing the risk of malnutrition.

« Parkinson’s disease mainly causes constipation, a risk of malnutrition and, sometimes, swallowing problems, specifies the dietitian. Diet can then help fight against these disorders. »

Constipation is often present from the beginning of the illness and lasts until the end. “It not only leads to a digestive discomfort, but also, when it is important, a delay in absorption of treatments », specifies Claire Trémolières.

” It’s important to hydrate well by drinking 1 liter to 1.5 liters of water, herbal tea, tea or coffee every day,” explains the dietitian. You can choose waters rich in sulfates and magnesium such as Contrex, Hépar, Courmayeur, Badoit, Rozanna, Quézac…

“We must also introduce into our eating habits a source of fibers found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, continues the dietitian. However, if you are not used to consuming fiber, you should go gradually and start with tender, cooked fiber. ” From fiber-rich foods :

• THE dried fruit such as prunes, dried figs, dates;
• THE Whole grains such as wholemeal bread, bran bread, wholemeal rice or wholemeal pasta;
• THE vegetables and fruits with peel such as leeks, spinach, green beans, tomatoes as well as apples, kiwis, cherries or grapes;
• THE dried vegetables (legumes) like lentils, chickpeas, beans.

Malnutrition is one of the consequences of Parkinson’s disease. It can lead to a loss of muscle mass, particularly among older people who less appreciate meat.

And to specify: “For patients who do not like meat, you should think about cheese for example, by doubling, or even tripling, the usually recommended portion of 30 grams. »

And for vegetarians ? “It’s more complicated,” warns the dietitian. It’s necessary focus on legumes, but they are less well absorbed at the intestinal level. You therefore need a certain quantity: count 75 g raw per person, and you need them pair with cereals : rice, pasta…”.

In case of undernutritionwe must also think about enrich meals with lipids. “We can increase intake without increasing the volume on the plate,” reassures the dietitian. It is enough, for example, to add a knob of butter to the puree, a melted cheese to the soup, a tablespoon of oil directly to the plate…”.

In the event of swallowing problems, it is therefore necessary to adapt the diet at risk in removing the skin, in cooking more foods, presenting them with a sauce to make them easier to swallow. “And when it becomes too dangerous, we have to switch to chopped, ground textures », advises the dietitian.

L’anxiety, THE mood disordersdepression can be side effects of Parkinson’s disease or treatments.

By restarting the production of dopamine, a hormone secreted by certain neurons and involved in the control of motor skills, practicing physical activity helps to slow down the disease. THE benefits of movement have been confirmed by several studies. Thus, the one published in 2022 in the journal Neurology (source 2). Researchers found that people who did regular physical exercise (one to two hours of moderate exercise twice a week) for five years performed better on cognitive tests and had slower disease progression. By “physical activity,” the study means activities such as walking, gardening or dancingnot just sporty.

The France Parkinson association also emphasizes this point in a press release published for World Parkinson’s Day on April 11, 2024 (source 3). “Research has highlighted the importance of practicing sport and physical activity in general in treatment, and its key role in the secondary and tertiary prevention of Parkinson’s disease”,

“Physical activity whatever it may be, provided that it is practiced in a sufficiently sustained and regular manner, and that it mobilizes the entire body, contributes in particular to improving mobility, reducing muscle stiffness and better coordination of movements. Muscle strengthening exercises compensate for muscle weakness frequently associated with the disease”, continues the association, which also highlights the benefits of physiotherapy in the treatment of Parkinson’s, “a essential resource to combat motor disorders ».