Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure, and other components of metabolic syndrome may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.
Although the study did not prove causation, the findings reveal a significant association between metabolic syndrome and Parkinson’s disease risk.
Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that includes excess belly fat, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, elevated triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as “good” cholesterol. A person with three or more of these risk factors is considered to have metabolic syndrome.
“Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder among older adults after Alzheimer’s disease, and metabolic syndrome affects an estimated one in four adults and is highly modifiable,” said study author Weili Xu, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
The study analyzed data from 467,200 individuals with an average age of 57. Among them, 38% had metabolic syndrome. Participants were monitored for a median of 15 years.
During this time, 3,222 individuals were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The incidence rate was 4.87 cases per 10,000 person-years for those without metabolic syndrome and 5.21 cases per 10,000 person-years for those with the syndrome.
After accounting for factors such as age, smoking, physical activity, and genetic predispositions, the researchers found that individuals with metabolic syndrome were approximately 40% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those without the syndrome.
The researchers also conducted a meta-analysis, combining this study’s results with eight previous studies. The combined data indicated that people with metabolic syndrome had a 29% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those without it.
“We also found a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease for people with both metabolic syndrome and a genetic susceptibility for Parkinson’s disease,” Xu added. “This suggests that maintaining metabolic health may be especially important for people who have genes that increase their risk for Parkinson’s disease.”
One limitation of the study is that most participants were white, so the results may not apply equally to other populations.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies about Parkinson’s gene variant is found predominantly in people of African ancestry and research shows a dangerous cause of Parkinson’s disease.
For more about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that exercise hormone may help stop Parkinson’s symptoms and scientists make new breakthrough in Parkinson’s disease treatment.
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