Do you know what you eat could help you fight diseases?
A group of researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) found out that eating certain types of food could help delay Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that can cause shaking, difficulty walking, and problems with balance and coordination. It is a disease that usually affects older people, but it can also occur in younger individuals.
The Helpful Diets
The researchers at UBC focused on two specific diets in their study: the MIND diet and the Mediterranean diet.
The MIND diet is a mix of two other well-known diets, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. The DASH diet is designed to help lower high blood pressure.
The Mediterranean diet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil.
People following the MIND and Mediterranean diets eat less meat. They focus more on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats.
These diets have been known to protect the brain against diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The UBC researchers studied 176 people for this research. They looked at how closely these people followed the MIND and Mediterranean diets and when they started showing signs of Parkinson’s disease.
They found out something interesting: People who stuck to these diets started showing signs of Parkinson’s disease much later than others.
In women, the disease could start up to 17 years later. In men, it could be 8 years later. The MIND diet seemed to be more beneficial for women, while the Mediterranean diet helped men more.
Why is this Important?
About 60% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are men. Understanding why these diets help more men than women could help us understand why more men get Parkinson’s disease in the first place.
This new discovery highlights the strong connection between our gut (where our food gets digested) and our brain.
It tells us that by eating healthy, we could protect our brain from not just one but several diseases. And who doesn’t want to keep their brain young and healthy, right?
The researchers at UBC now want to look into how the mix of bacteria in our gut, called the microbiome, might be affecting our brain.
##5. The Takeaway This study gives us even more reasons to eat healthily. A diet full of a variety of plant-based and other healthy foods can keep our gut healthy. And a healthy gut could mean a healthy brain.
So, why wait? Let’s start eating right and take care of ourselves. It could help us keep diseases like Parkinson’s at bay. But always remember to talk to your doctor or a dietitian before making any big changes to your diet. They can give you advice that suits your body’s needs best.
In conclusion, remember the old saying, “You are what you eat.” It seems that with a good diet, we might keep ourselves not just healthier, but also happier.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and the Mediterranean diet could help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
The study was published in Movement Disorders.
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