Navigation
Long-term consumption of ultraprocessed foods and prodromal features of Parkinson disease
While ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) have been linked to several chronic illnesses, their connection to early signs of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not well understood. This study by Wang et al. (2025) investigated whether long-term UPF intake is associated with nonmotor symptoms indicative of prodromal PD. Data from individuals without Parkinson’s disease (PD) from two large cohorts—the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study—were used in the study. UPF consumption was measured through repeated food frequency questionnaires from 1984 to 2006 and categorized using the Nova classification system. Constipation and potential REM sleep behavior disorder (pRBD) were reported by individuals in 2012. A fraction additionally reported experiencing physical discomfort, depressed symptoms, excessive daytime drowsiness, hyposmia, and decreased color vision between 2014 and 2015. The main outcome was the presence of 0, 1, 2, or 3+ nonmotor prodromal features. Secondary outcomes included various combinations of symptoms and individual features. The study included 42,853 participants, mostly women, with an average age of 47.8 years. Comparing the highest to the lowest UPF intake groups, individuals had significantly greater odds of presenting with three or more prodromal features when using the cumulative average intake. Similar associations were observed with baseline intake and across multiple symptom groupings. High UPF consumption was also linked to individual symptoms such as pRBD, constipation, body pain, and depression. The findings suggest a strong association between long-term UPF intake and early, nonmotor signs of Parkinson’s disease. Further investigation is required to determine whether reducing UPF use may help prevent or delay these prodromal symptoms. [NPID: Ultraprocessed foods, Parkinson’s disease, prodromal symptoms, REM sleep disorder, constipation, depressive symptoms]
Year: 2025
