Parkinson's & Dairy--A Link?

Dairy products like milk, cheese and ice cream have long been suspected of playing a role in the development of Parkinson's disease but it's only been in the past few years that these suspicions have been confirmed. Today, thanks to hard-working researchers, a growing body of evidence is linking the consumption of dairy products to this devestating condition.

One of the first studies to confirm a clear link between dairy products and Parkinson's disease was a 2002 study done at the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. This study, which looked at 210 men with Parkinson's disease, found what researchers called "significant positive associations" between Parkinson's and diets rich in dairy foods.

This study also linked Parkinson's to the consumption of dairy-derived foods like dairy protein, lactose, and dairy-based calcium supplements. Unfortunately, this study failed to identify any "active" components responsible for increasing a person's risk of Parkinson's.

Five years later a much larger study, which looked at nearly 60,000 men and over 73,000 women, confirmed the findings of earlier studies when it, too, found that regular consumption of dairy products moderately increased the risk of Parkinson's disease in men.

This study, like its 2002 predecessor, failed to identify any chemical components responsible for this increased risk. One thing this study did clarify was that milk seems to be more of a culprit than yogurt or cheese.

Parkinson's, Dairy Products & Women

One of the most intriguing findings in these studies was that while they reinforced the link between dairy product and Parkinson's disease in men they failed to show a link between dairy products and Parkinson's disease in women. Currently, researchers are at a loss to explain this puzzling discrepency.

Should You Avoid Dairy if You Are at Risk for Parkinson's Disease?

It's important to remember that only your doctor can properly evaluate your risk on any illness and Parkinson's disease is no exception. As for the researchers in this study, perhaps Dr. Honglei Cho sums it up best when he says, "Given some of the potential health benefits of dairy foods, people can still enjoy their moderate amounts."

If you would like more infomation about Parkinson's disease or you'd like to discuss your unique risk factors, talk to your primary health care provider. He or she will talk you through this complicated issue and give you the information that's right for you.

References:

Chen, H., O'Reilly, E., McCullough, M., Rodriguez, C., Schwarzschild, M., Calle, E., et al. (2007). Consumption of dairy products and risk of Parkinson's disease.

Chen, H., Zhang, S., Hernan, M., Willett, W., Ascherio A. (2002). Diet and Parkinson's disease: a potential role of dairy products in men.