Parkinson‟s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer‟s
disease and affects ~1% of the population over the age of 60 years in industrialised countries. The
aim of this review is to examine nutrition in PD across three domains: dietary intake and the
development of PD; whole body metabolism in PD; and the effects of PD symptoms and treatment
on nutritional status. In most cases, PD is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and
environmental factors and whilst there has been much research in the area, evidence suggests that
poor dietary intake is not a risk factor for the development of PD. The evidence around body weight
changes in both the prodromal and symptomatic phases of PD is inconclusive and is confounded by
many factors. Malnutrition in PD has been documented as has sarcopenia, although the prevalence
of the latter remains uncertain due to a lack of consensus in the definition of sarcopenia. PD
symptoms, including those which are gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal, are known to
adversely affect nutritional status. Likewise, PD treatments can cause nausea, vomiting and
constipation, all of which can adversely affect nutritional status. Given that the prevalence of PD
will increase as the population ages, it is important to understand the interplay between PD,
comorbidities and nutritional status. Further research may contribute to the development of
interventional strategies to improve symptoms, augment care, and importantly, enhance the quality
of life for patients living with this complex neurodegenerative disease. CLICK TO REVIEW