We are all well aware that what we eat has a direct impact on our overall health and wellbeing. Eating too much fatty and sugary foods can put us at risk of obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, for example, while not eating enough fruit and vegetables could leave you vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies.
In recent years experts have also been interested in the impact of gut health on the rest of the body, with many believing an unhealthy gut could increase your chances of multiple health issues such as autoimmune problems, diabetes and even cancer.
Now a study has found that damage to part of the gut could put you at a significantly higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.
New research, published in JAMA Network Open, discovered that upper gastrointestinal (GI) damage has an association with a 75 percent greater risk of a future diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that primarily affects neurons needed for movement.
Therefore, the main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease affect physical movement such as tremors, slowness and muscle stiffness.
As part of the study, a team investigated the association between the lining of the upper GI tract damage and Parkinson’s disease.
They analysed 9,350 patients with no history of Parkinson’s who had upper GI endoscopy with biopsy. Damage was classed as erosions, ulcers, or acid-induced injuries.
The team followed the patients for about 15 years. Of the patients with mucosal damage, 52 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s – or 2.2 percent of this group.
Of the patients without mucosal damage, 48 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s – only 0.5 percent of this group.
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Further to this, the patients with mucosal damage were also more likely to have a history of Helicobactor pylori, to have used medications for stomach acid, or to have chronically used NSAIDs.
They were more likely to have had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), smoked, and experienced constipation or dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
Study lead Trisha Pasricha, from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said that many patients with Parkinson’s disease have symptoms like dysphagia or constipation years before their diagnosis.
But she said that her study showed for the first time that a history of upper gastrointestinal mucosal damage was associated with a 76 percent greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, Study Finds reported.
The study concluded: “This study found that a history of upper gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal damage (MD) was associated with an increased risk of subsequently developing PD.
“These findings highlight the necessity for heightened monitoring of patients with MD given their increased clinical PD susceptibility and the importance of establishing gut biomarkers.
“With peptic ulcer disease globally affecting upwards of 8.09 million people and H pylori infection even more widespread, timely detection and treatment of H pylori infection, along with MD management, may prove crucial to early recognition of risk of and potentially intervention against Parkinson’s disease.”
According to the NHS, it’s not known why the loss of nerve cells associated with Parkinson’s disease occurs, although research is ongoing to identify potential causes. The health body listed potential causes of Parkinson’s as genetics and environmental factors.