Wide-ranging nutritional issues affect those with Parkinson disease

+Practice

Nutrition

Wide-ranging nutritional issues affect those with Parkinson disease

By Sarah MacAvoy

Wednesday 20 November 2024, 12:25 AM

Nutrition is an important but often overlooked part of managing Parkinson disease [Image: Sweet Life on Unsplash]

Dietitian Sarah MacAvoy discusses the symptoms of Parkinson disease that affect a person’s ability to maintain good nutrition and those that can be improved with dietary strategies. She also looks at how food and medications interact

Key points, The prevalence of Parkinson disease is increasing worldwide. People with Parkinson disease face many nutrition-related issues. Dietary, Pract Green w Pale Yellow

Diet and Nutrition

Gastroenterology

Medicines and Therapies

References

1. WHO. Parkinson disease. 9 August 2023.

2. New Zealand Brain Research Institute. Prevalence and Incidence of Parkinson’s in New Zealand.

3. Ó Breasail M, Smith MD, Tenison E, et al. Parkinson’s disease: the nutrition perspective. Proc Nutr Soc 2022;81(1):12–26.

4. American Parkinson Disease Association. The Importance of Healthy Eating for People with Parkinson’s.

5. Lithander F. Nutritional Considerations for Parkinsons [webinar]. Dietitians NZ, 15 October 2024.

How to Treat

+How to treat

Polypharmacy

For older people and frail people, the long-term benefit of medicines reduces and the potential for harm from adverse effects increases. When the benefit–risk balance changes in this way, medicine review and optimisation are important to simplify the therapeutic regimen, reduce inappropriate medicines and minimise risks. In this article, pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant uses two case studies to illustrate important considerations during medicine reviews

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12:50 AM